Heartache
by Shades 0f Dawn
Summary: Beat Walpurgisnacht without Madoka contracting. Keep everyone else alive. That was how Homura's plan should've gone. And before the 100th iteration, she finally succeeds. But venturing into unknown waters has its own risks and dangers, and Homura begins to learn that the chains of fate are not so easily swayed. [HomuMado][PSP Happy Ending AU][Can you fight for this happy ending?]
1. Chapter 1: Promise of Tomorrow

**A/N: **An ambitious Collab, designed and written by the **Foxborough Five** (**Azuki Rose**, **Foxtrot0220**, **Larkabel**, **XP Flipside**, and myself).

...Well, it really went more like:

- **Foxtrot0220** came up with the initial idea, but then his free time died because of college and work. R.I.P. Except we don't feel sorry for him because he goes to Harvard and works at Google.

- **Azuki Rose** also had some good ideas, but she was then eaten by a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich.

- **Larkabel** wrote the first scene, but then she literally transformed into Homura. Rumors say that to this very day, she works in a grocery store, occasionally using her time-stopping powers to stock shelves in the blink of an eye.

- **XP Flipside** expanded the plot from what was originally planned to be a one/two-chapter Collab into like a ten/fifteen-chapter one. Then he succumbed to his weakness for girls with short hair and was never heard from again.

- And I think I might be masochistic, because I can't stop myself from writing new stories even though I have yet to finish a bunch of other ones.

...it's been an interesting few months among us, to say the least. But we, the members of the Foxborough Five, a ragtag team of aspiring writers and unique personalities, without further ado present to you:

_(credit goes to "BlazingWarlord" for the cover art)_

* * *

><p><strong>HEARTACHE<strong>

Chapter 1 - Promise of Tomorrow

* * *

><p><em>Don't forget.<em>

_Always. Somewhere._

_Someone is fighting for you._

_As long as you remember her._

_You are **not** alone._

* * *

><p><strong>(Thursday Evening)<strong>

It started as a simple chance encounter. But things always start that way, don't they?

The idyllic stretch of slow, warm days between the spring and summer seasons was especially prone to unique happenings, because when the gang all got together, interesting experiences were abundant. And in a city like Mitakihara, the girls were frequently sprinkled with reminders that the impossible was just a little more tangible among the twinkling city light constellations and the thrill and wild danger of darkness that spanned districts.

As the last of the labyrinth evaporated, Homura stood and brushed strands of her long hair away from her face almost lazily. As soon as the tranquil night scene of Mitakihara City swam into view, she flicked on the safety of her gun and tucked it back into her shield before transforming back into her normal clothes. She paused momentarily, glancing up at the deep amber and amethyst-shaded evening sweep of sky to think.

It surprised her how fast the witch had fallen - she had barely expended any energy nor broken a sweat. This was a witch whose name she didn't know from previous timelines, and therefore whose battle movements were unpredictable. Unseen, unheard of until now. Normally an ambiguous enemy like that would have made her apprehensive. But quickly vanquishing it was all still like a routine - just one in which the future was unknown.

As a friendly medley of sounds reached her ears, Homura noted that it also helped that she was no longer fighting alone. Calmly brushing away her hair, she took a step... and then promptly tripped over Kyouko's prostrate body.

"Ow, watch it Homura!" Kyouko growled, pushing herself up from the asphalt as her spear disappeared with a quick flash of iridescent light.

"_You_ watch it." Homura snapped back with just as much indignation. She grudgingly rose to her feet, brushing off the dirt and dust that had promptly collected on the front of her skirt. "Where were you looking when you ran into me during the battle?"

"Well _excuuuuuuuse _me for heroically jumping in to save you from the familiar that was about to ambush you from behind," Kyouko huffed, crossing her arms.

Homura stared at the redhead in utter disbelief, growing indignant from the fact that she had the _nerve_ to be indignant herself. "I ended up having to finish it off for you anyways."

Haughtiness quickly morphed into realization on Kyouko's face. "...Oh."

"You jumped in front of me _and _ended up making me cover for your mistake." Homura testily pointed out.

Kyouko flung up her arms in a look of pure innocence once the argument had been turned on her. "Look, it all worked out in the end-"

"Are you _kidding_ me? We're lucky no one got hurt."

"Aw c'mon," Kyouko pouted. "What more do you want?"

"_Not _jump in front of me _and _take care of the familiar." Homura firmly stated.

Kyouko mulled it over for a second. "…that's asking too much."

Sighing in resignation, Homura just rolled her eyes and turned to find her other companions recovering in a similar manner. Mami had already transformed back into her school attire and was busy fixing one of her drill-shaped pigtails. Next to her, Sayaka had just started a heated-but-not-really debate with Kyouko about... well, Homura wasn't really paying attention, so she wasn't entirely sure, but she did nod in affirmation when the blunette placed a hand on her shoulder and demanded an ally against the unreasonable terror that was Sakura Kyouko. Kyouko then stuck her tongue out before she and Sayaka scurried off into the alleyway, betting who could find the grief seed first.

The battle had been fought on the outskirts of the city, amid the winding alleyways and other shadowy side roads that were usually avoided by people who weren't looking for trouble. Metal latticeworks extended above them to form crude balconies and stairs that led from one story to another until finally dropping onto the fire escape. Spools of silver moonlight dripped through the metal frameworks onto the hard concrete below. It was a sort of maze, and the grief seed could have fallen anywhere.

Homura hadn't even been intending to join this fight, but she had been intercepted by Mami, Sayaka, and Kyouko on her way home from school. They had been hunting a particularly elusive witch who, according to Kyouko, had been evading them for the past couple of days. This had perked Homura's curiosity. Although at first, she had been hesitant about joining fights against witches she'd never encountered before, she slowly began to convince herself that there was an element of _enthrallment_ in the unknown. This was enforced by the fact that no real danger lay in fighting witches as long as all four of them were present. In addition, it was interesting to see how everyone adjusted to each new battle with new tactics and formations that took advantage of the cover and magical power everyone else provided. And the repetition of improvisation made it easier for Homura to formulate strategies in the moment, standing back to calmly observe the situation before relaying instructions to everyone else that led to a quick, decisive victory.

Of course, there were some things that still took time getting used to, like fighting in a formation that limited the chance of collision between two or more of them and accidental friendly fire (that had almost gotten them in a lot of trouble once), but Mami, Sayaka, and Kyouko had come to accept the idea that Homura would take a while getting used to working with others. The same was true for Kyouko to an extent, although Mami and Sayaka understood why in her case. Homura was still, for the most part, a mystery.

Maybe this was why Mami, Sayaka, and Kyouko always seemed to seek her out before a witch battle. They wanted to see how she fought. They wanted to learn about her. They wanted her to get used to them.

Homura couldn't blame them. It wasn't like she minded this new routine.

But one thing still troubled her - she still couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth of this world. After all, despite the optimistic situation, there was still a chance that _something_ could go wrong. Witches could start manifesting faster (and to a slight extent, they had already). Someone could die.

Or, in the worst case scenario, Madoka could contract.

And then everything would be torn away from Homura, spiraling away into another hopeless timeline - another attempt that had failed. Homura knew that resetting this timeline would be the hardest. When she thought about the consequences the doubts in her mind whispered to her, it was all she could do to keep her composure. Resetting this timeline could destroy her - crush any resolve she still had to continue.

She _wouldn't_ lose this world.

This was the closest she had ever come (and most likely – hopefully – would ever come) to perfection. Sure, Sayaka and Kyouko still quibbled time to time, there was the threat of Mami discovering everything and breaking, and Kyubey was still urging Madoka to contract. But the point was nobody was dead. Madoka _hadn't_ contracted. They had plenty of grief seeds to last. Everyone was happy.

Of course, being magical girls, everyone knew deep down that their future was bleak. Fighting for survival with no end in sight was enough to crumble the willpower of anyone. But they had beaten Walpurgisnacht. And they were all here _together_, working in perfect tandem with each other. They were all friends, more or less, so they all had _hope_, and Homura knew that that was the key to ensure their prolonged survival.

All of the pieces had finally fallen into place, and Homura was deadset on maintaining the status quo. She was slowly learning to live outside of the month she'd trapped herself in for an eternity too long.

Time was moving forwards towards the promise of tomorrow.

"Got it!"

Homura's ears perked up to a shout and the welcoming sound of returning footsteps as a few seconds later, a sufficiently smug Kyouko came racing back with the grief seed clasped in her hand. Sayaka trailed right behind her, her face shadowed in a bitter scowl.

"She cheated." Sayaka immediately complained once they were back.

"Nuh-uh," Kyouko retorted, sticking her tongue out at the blue-haired girl. "I'm just faster."

Mami chuckled in amusement, her eyes merrily twinkling. "Now I'll take it. Unless anyone is running low?" When she received no response, she held out her hand and waited for the grief seed to be dropped into it before pocketing the dark orb.

"I dunno about you guys, but I think this calls for a celebration!" Kyouko declared as soon as the grief seed was out of sight. She grinned, her cheeks flushed with triumph, and stretched her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. "That witch couldn't avoid us forever. After beating Walpurgisnacht a few weeks ago, it's like we've all leveled up! Nothing can hurt us now! Oh, and uh… I'm sorta out of pocky."

"Dear god, what is the world coming to?" Sayaka muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Mami chuckled again. She went up to Kyouko and put a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the redhead's jolt of surprise. "Well we can't have that, can we? You're in luck though. I have some cakes left over from the other day. Why don't you all come over to my place? I'll make some tea too." She smiled around at them all, her gaze lingering on Homura. "It's been a while since we've done something like this. We can invite Kaname-san as well."

That grabbed Homura's attention. Before, she had been content to just stand and observe, as she did after mostly every battle. But in this case, she had to intercede.

"Actually…" she began, unconsciously playing with the hem of her amethyst-colored skirt - one of her nicest piece of clothing. "I'm busy right now, so I won't be joining you. My apologies."

"Huh?" Kyouko raised an eyebrow, giving her a studying look. "You got someplace better to be?"

"I'm supposed to be somewhere…" Homura trailed off, unsure of how to put it. They were all curiously staring at her now, and she felt strangely self-conscious. "I'm a little late now." She didn't say it accusingly.

"Ah, well if that's the case, then you should hurry and go," Mami quickly said. The expression that crossed her face quirked her lips up in a knowing smile, and Homura wasn't sure she liked being looked at with such ill-concealed endearment. "But you're welcome to join us next time. You're welcome to join us anytime."

Her gaze was so soft, so _fond_. Homura hoped it would always stay that way. She nodded her thanks, letting out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

Just as she was walking away, Sayaka spoke up. "So…" she said, and her voice held an unmistakable edge of mischief. "I guess we won't be calling Madoka to invite her either, huh?"

Homura had to concentrate very hard to keep from tripping. As she rounded the corner of the alley onto the street, she was thankful for the thickness of her hair, which had concealed how red her ears had become.

Luckily for her, the stars above shone like glowing beacons for the lost souls of this world, lighting her path.

"C'mon Kyouko," Sayaka nudged the redhead once Homura was gone. "We need to go pick up the ingredients for dinner on the way home. Oh, and we need to go shopping for your clothes this weekend."

"Ehh... wait, I wanna know where Homura's going-"

"Come _on _Kyouko. Leave her alone."

* * *

><p><strong>(Thursday Night)<strong>

In some ways, it was a little like fate.

While Homura retained all of the memories from the timelines - the shrouded pasts, personalities, quirks, and desires of Mami, Kyouko, and Sayaka - they knew next to nothing about her, other than her connection with Madoka. Sure, they had been convinced by Homura to work together to defeat Walpurgisnacht. Homura had even helped Mami and Kyouko mend their past. But there was still an invisible divide that remained between her and everyone else, largely due to her mystique.

After spending so much time getting to know the other Mitakihara girls in order to determine the best route, Homura realized that it would take time for them to get to truly know her - destined to be a mystery even in this "timeline".

Even though the other girls were aware of her as another fellow magical girl attached to Madoka, she was still merely the oddly mysterious transfer student that liked to linger in the library in the hours after school. Perhaps they'd occasionally notice the jet-black hair fluttering by down the hallway or the calm aura that emanated from the same corner of the classroom, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

But after defeating Walpurgisnacht, it wasn't long until they became close friends. The first time Homura had really come on friendly terms with them had been one Friday afternoon when she gathered her belongings and left after school ended - leaving behind one rather thick-looking book on her desk.

It had taken only a few minutes for her to come barreling back through the classroom door, breathless as she searched all around for her missing book because how could she have forgotten something so important? When Madoka had shyly offered it to her, Homura had all but wrapped the pinkette into a hug - which elicited a surprised squeak and warm laughs from the other girls - before proceeding to properly reintroduce herself to the rest.

When school resumed on Monday, Homura suddenly found those same girls had somehow managed to convince the students surrounding her to switch seats with them.

So that was how Homura had found herself in a group of friends, spending countless school hours and afternoon walks in the company of the other girls. It was hardly something she was accustomed to – and the other girls swore that they'd never met such an interesting and mysterious personality as her. Perhaps Kyouko would wander closer with a daring gleam in her eyes and have a little too much fun poking fun at her formal way of speech, or Mami had taken a little too much pleasure in inviting her over for tea, letting her taste the first batch of cookies from her oven, but it had all been done with a laugh and smile, and Homura far from minded.

It was those events that cemented Homura's place with Mami, Kyouko, and Sayaka.

But it was a separate event that drew Homura even closer to Madoka.

It had been absolutely pouring the day when Homura noticed Madoka alone after school – with the pinkette's coat tightly wrapped around herself, she had been a surprising interruption to an otherwise sleepy day. Her hair was matted against her face, and she was already shivering from the cold of the rain seeping through her drenched uniform. As fate would have it, they were the only two waiting under the overhang of the school's front doors, neither of them having brought umbrellas. Homura had intended to leave for home right away, but when the weather proceeded to thunder even harder, she had no choice but to accept defeat and wait out the rainstorm.

So they began to exchange a few friendly words, but Madoka had a talent for pulling people easily into conversation, and Homura was no exception. With a naturally sweet and friendly charisma, the two effortlessly found themselves in deep conversation, jumping from one topic to another. Madoka admitted she had always wanted to talk with Homura alone like this, but could never find the right opportunity. And as Homura relaxed under Madoka's charm, she couldn't believe how suddenly it was six o'clock already? Madoka had to laugh in surprise as well, apologizing that they had talked so late unawares of the time.

From then on, their afternoons walking home from school together turned into a daily thing - something Homura always looked forward too, even if it wasn't something she intended to happen in the first place. But Madoka would always approach her with a smile that warmed her insides, and Homura would feel herself being drawn even closer. Granted, their conversations usually only lasted an hour at most, but it left Homura more than happy.

For Homura, a recluse in a world that was too busy, the place she had among her friends who would always look out for her was like a dream come true.

She must have been thinking about it too intently, because when she walked into the restaurant, Madoka giggled at her and asked, "What are you smiling about, Homura-chan?"

"Ah, it's nothing…" Homura slid into the booth and buried her face in the dessert menu to partially hide her now-blushing expression. "I apologize for being late. I was busy fighting a witch with everyone else."

"No, no, don't worry about it," Madoka hurriedly assured her. "I asked you to come here today, so I'm sorry if it was inconvenient."

"I wanted to be here with you, so it's not a problem." Homura replied with a smile, before glancing around the interior. They were in a small family restaurant tucked away at the end of the main street. It had recently opened and was supposedly very popular with other girls from their school due to the extravagant dessert selections. But it was still new, and even on a Thursday night, there were few other customers besides the two girls. Still, Madoka had wanted to check it out, and Homura was more than happy for an excuse to accompany her without the distraction of the other magical girls.

Homura slid down the menu, casting furtive glances out the window and hoping that neither Kyouko nor Sayaka would have to pass by this area. The last time Homura had planned to be with Madoka alone in a restaurant, the meddling duo had coincidentally decided to eat there... and Homura wasn't sure she would ever live that experience down, in-between Sayaka's and Kyouko's knowing looks and smirks she felt burning into her cheeks from across the restaurant. And when an oblivious Madoka had offered to feed Homura a bite of her parfait, the guffaw from Kyouko as a furiously blushing Homura chomped down on Madoka's spoon still rang in her ears to this very day.

"Is something wrong?" Madoka asked as Homura snapped her attention back to her.

"N-No, sorry," Homura shook her head to dispel the embarrassing memories. She mentally chided herself for already spacing out during her precious time alone with Madoka. "Did you decide what you want to order yet?"

"Actually, since I wasn't sure when you were going to be done, I already ordered the ultra-jumbo parfait special so we could both share it," Madoka apologetically smiled. "It's supposed to be this restaurant's specialty though, so I'm sure you'll love it!"

_"I don't mind Madoka, but the ultra-jumbo parfait special is designed to be shared among a family of four. Are you planning to eat a three-person serving in one sitting?" _Homura thought incredulously, but didn't say aloud. Instead, she replied, "It's fine, I don't mind sharing with you."

In a few minutes, the aforementioned parfait was brought to their table in front of a beaming Madoka and a stunned-into-silence Homura, the latter of whom felt like she had to strain her neck just to look at the top of the dessert.

"Madoka," Homura began, staring in awe at the fields of fruit and glaciers of ice-cream, not even sure which mountain to begin scaling first. She half-expected the table to begin caving in under the colossal dessert's weight. "Did you happen to skip your other meals in lieu of this?"

"Hmm?" Madoka peered around the parfait at Homura in confusion, her spoon already eagerly digging into the ice-cream. "No, don't you know? A girl always has a separate stomach for sweets!"

"Ah, is that so..?"

Despite Homura's astonishment, the parfait was soon finished between them - a feat even Kyouko would have to recognize. Once Madoka set down her spoon, she immediately leaned closer over the table, wide eyes brimming with curiosity to hear Homura's heroic tales of witch fighting. She'd initially accompanied the rest of the gang on their battles, if nothing but from a need to _do _something and act as morale support, but a close encounter with a witch the other day forced Mami to put that at an end. Now, Madoka kept herself content by eagerly listening as Homura patiently recounted the events of their most recent fight. As Homura meticulously explained how she had improvised her battle tactics around the infamously spontaneous and combustible duo of Kyouko and Sayaka, Madoka gave an occasional nod, fascinated by the story.

"What did you do today?" Homura asked in return once she was done talking.

"Well," Madoka began. "I..."

As Madoka launched into recounting her events of the day, Homura tilted her head and listened. She just enjoyed listening to Madoka talk. Something about her mellifluous voice just made her feel so... calm. "I see," Homura murmured through smirking lips as Madoka finished explaining how she was absolutely sure she had just failed the pop quiz in class earlier today. "I might have given you the answers had you asked me telepathically."

"That's cheating, Homura-chan!" Madoka quickly responded, eyes going wide at the indecent notion. "I wouldn't do something like that!"

Homura slowly nodded at Madoka's honorable display of integrity. "Alright, but don't change your opinion when you see your grade next week."

"My grade? Oh right, you had to help grade the quizzes today..." Madoka trailed off as realization dawned on her face. She sprang to her feet. "You saw it, didn't you? You saw what my grade was!"

Homura turned a sideways glance at the suddenly fidgety, red-faced Madoka. "Perhaps I did."

"What did I get?" Madoka asked, anxiously leaning across the table.

"Madoka, I can't tell you in advance," Homura couldn't help a sly smile from spreading on her lips. "That would be _cheating_."

"That's not cheating!" Madoka pouted, puffing out her cheeks in protest. When she realized that Homura wasn't planning on saying anything anytime soon, she let out a disappointed sigh. "Fine, you know what? I'm not talking to you anymore, Meanie-Homura-chan."

_"Meanie-Homura-chan?" _Homura thought with amusement. She tilted her head. "You're not?"

"Nope!" Madoka crossed her arms and scooted around to face away, stewing in her seat.

Homura raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Nope! ...I mean yes!"

"Even though you're still talking to me right now?" Homura asked, smiling again at the pinkette's cute reactions.

"..." Madoka didn't budge, defiantly continuing to stare at the other side of the restaurant away from Homura.

"Fine, I'm sorry Madoka," Homura said, though her amused expression belied her sincere apology. "It's just easy to tease you sometimes."

"I don't like being treated like a little kid though..." Madoka reluctantly turned her gaze back towards Homura, giving her a sad puppy-look.

This time, it was Homura's turn to quickly avert her gaze to hide her blush. "_S-She's too cute..." _Homura thought, feeling infinitely lucky for possibly being the only one to see this side of Madoka.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Madoka suddenly exclaimed. "I had something to show you!"

Homura watched as Madoka reached into her pocket and pulled out a long string of red yarn. "What is that for?" she asked.

"For this," Madoka reached across the table and grabbed Homura's hands, wrapping the red yarn around them. Then, she gently began to skillfully weave it around Homura's fingers until it had created a heart-shaped design. "Ehehe, see," Madoka smiled, proud at her own newly learned talent. "Isn't this really amazing?"

"Mm, but you can also do this-" Homura took the string and knotted one end of it to her pinky finger. Then, she gently tied the other end of it to Madoka's pinky finger. "See," Homura looked up at Madoka and held their hands close together. "Now we're tied together by this red string of fate. It symbolizes our undying connection to each other."

Madoka blushed. "B-But this is really embarrassing, Homura-chan..." she struggled to say, though a warm, happy smile turned the corners of her lips upwards.

_Yep,_ Homura silently amended._ This girl really is too cute for her own good._

"Homura-chan, um... we'll be together forever, right? I mean, of course we will. But..." Madoka trailed off with an expression close to troubled disappointment. It was cozy and bright inside of the restaurant, but her eyes held none of that warmth. "I..." she began and stopped, her voice quivering with an emotion Homura could not identify.

Homura glanced at her, studying her expression with a perplexed frown. For a little while, neither of them said anything, the silence mounting, until: "What's the matter, Madoka?" Homura finally asked.

Madoka looked up, and shrugged. "It's nothing. Well, it's not really that important. I was just thinking about how amazing you are..."

Homura blinked. "Ama... zing?"

Madoka vigorously nodded. "Yeah, you and everyone else! You're all so amazing... I can't even begin to comprehend everything you do. Sometimes, I get a little disappointed in myself about how I can't be there with you-"

"I think you're amazing Madoka."

Madoka blinked. "Huh?"

Homura stared into Madoka's eyes, never once breaking eye-contact. "You're amazingly calming. You're amazingly kind. You're amazingly fun to be with."

With faint circles of red coloring her cheeks, Madoka frantically waved her hands. "W-What are you saying, Homura-chan?"

"The amount of sweets you eat is amazing-"

"Aah, I get it!" Madoka leaned over the table and tried to stifle Homura's mouth with her hands, hurriedly sitting back down when a few other customers glanced over to see what the commotion was all about. "Jeez, you don't have to say anymore!"

As Madoka fidgeted in her seat, Homura cast her a warm smile. "You shouldn't feel down thinking about the things you aren't doing," Homura reassured the pinkette, affectionately placing a hand on hers.

Madoka reluctantly nodded. "I just wish I could help somehow..."

"Just the fact that I can spend time with you and relax like this is already immensely helpful."

"...really?"

Homura nodded. "Really."

"O-Okay, if you say so..." Madoka trailed off with a small smile. Homura knew that it wasn't as bright as she knew it could be, but the happy expression put her thoughts at ease nonetheless. A few moments of silence were shared between them when Madoka suddenly glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ah, is it this late already?" She panicked, hastily gathering her belongings and rising to her feet. "I'm sorry, I promised Mama that I'd be back home before she came back from work."

"I understand. It's about time I head home for tonight too."

"Oh, and um," Madoka hesitated right before leaving. She beamed again, and Homura felt her heart growing unbearably warm. "Thank you for tonight, Homura-chan! I really enjoyed it!"

"Likewise. Be careful on your way home," Homura said as she smiled back and waved goodbye. The first glimmer of stars had begun to dot the night sky canvas by the time the pinkette disappeared into the distance, vaguely illuminated by the owl light before fading out of view.

Homura sighed happily. Spending peaceful nights like this with Madoka was like a dream come true. Homura opened her palm and glanced down at the red string, cheeks growing warm at the recollection of her words.

_We're tied together by this red string of fate. It symbolizes our undying connection to each-_

"Akemi Homura."

Homura recognized the familiar voice before she saw the small white creature perched on the windowsill of the family diner. Seconds that felt like hours passed as incubator and magical girl stared at each other - Homura trying to figure out what Kyubey wanted underneath that placid vermilion-red-eyed stare of his. It wasn't a rare sight to see Kyubey, even though he had become slightly less involved (and therefore less of a threat to Homura's plans) with Walpurgisnacht gone and no real danger left to goad Madoka into contracting.

But tonight... for some reason, his sudden presence felt slightly more disconcerting and ominous than usual.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Homura asked, stepping closer and then icily glancing down at her unwelcome visitor.

Ignoring the glare aimed in his direction, Kyubey licked his paw, as if to show that he had come with no ill-intentions. "I was simply passing by to check on the general state of the magical girls in this vicinity."

"Of Madoka?" Homura demanded.

"Of _you_." Kyubey looked up at Homura with his beady eyes, his calm smile seeming to smirk at her. "I noticed you were able to defeat that witch quite easily."

"If you're here for the grief seed, Tomoe-san is the one who has it-"

"That can come later. I was merely interested in observing how you fought with the other magical girls so efficiently. The four of you work well as a team, which is surprising when considering that other magical girls can be very territorial... but the fact that you all share a large stockpile of grief seeds certainly helps-"

"So what? What are you trying to say?" Homura impatiently asked.

"Defeating that witch Walpurgisnacht is an accomplishment, but you should not succumb to complacency from a naive sense of security." Kyubey calmly stated. Maybe it was just Homura, but his eyes seemed to glow an ominous red in the dimness of the evening owl light. "I wonder how long your alliance will stay intact or when you won't be able to stand against the witches. No one ever knows what the future will hold, and your troubles may have only just begun."

* * *

><p><em>Do you ever wonder why things turn out the way they do?<em>

* * *

><p><strong>(Friday)<strong>

_I love her._

Homura had always been aware of her feelings towards Madoka, but they had all come rushing up last week on a Sunday morning when she really shouldn't have gotten out of bed. Her head was pounding against her skull and every step felt like she was walking through sludge, but she just swallowed down some pills and gritted her teeth.

"It'll go away," she had assured herself, taking a moment to sit on the edge of her bed and let her alarmingly dizzying vision refocus. "It's just a bad morning," she muttered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'll be fine."

Remembering that she had gotten Madoka's number from the other day, Homura decided to text her that she wasn't feeling so well and wouldn't be able to make their daily meeting. As soon as that was done, Homura limped downstairs and barely managed to collapse into her living room couch, surrounded by white-washed walls and a searing migraine that wouldn't go away no matter how much she willed it to.

Honestly, Homura wasn't expecting anything. She knew that Madoka had no obligation to comfort her - that it wasn't strange for Madoka to say nothing more than _"I hope you're feeling better today,"_ the next day at school and not even cast her a second glance.

But Madoka had been right by her side, literally, as Homura stumbled to open the front door not ten minutes later. She was the support Homura needed when she limply fell into her soft arms; wrapping Homura in a tight embrace and affectionately chiding her for not staying in bed.

Homura, on her part, had to resist the temptation to nuzzle even deeper into Madoka's warmth and compliment the pinkette on how pleasant she smelled.

Madoka had then offered to stay with Homura the entire day after seeing the state she was in. Homura tried to refuse the offer because she had already taken enough of Madoka's time and couldn't ask for anything more than that. But when she tried to pull away and was unable to support herself on her own two feet, Madoka promptly helped Homura back upstairs into bed, drawing the covers to her chest as she tenderly watched over the sick girl like a guardian angel. Under Madoka's tender gaze, Homura had peacefully fallen asleep, with her last thoughts about how she wanted nothing more than to be with Madoka all the time.

_I love her._

Homura had realized it as it all crashed down on her at once. Or maybe she hadn't realized it in any particular moment – no, it was a combination of little things. How she began to cherish the way Madoka talked and smiled, how her heart ached and longed to see her face again as soon as they parted, how a blush would rise to her cheeks whenever their hands accidentally brushed, and how she found a smile – once foreign to her – effortlessly brighten her face whenever Madoka was around.

The admiration and love for Madoka continued to bloom within Homura's heart, and she found herself drawn even closer to the kind girl.

Madoka stayed by Homura's side until parting late in the evening, after making Homura promise to take better care of herself. When Homura skipped school the next day to finish recovering, Madoka, worried for Homura's well-being, began texting her back. Texting turned into longer conversations and walking together after school, which consequently turned into talking over the phone late into the night to the point where both girls had to reluctantly tear themselves away so they could get a decent night's sleep. And before Homura knew it, a blush would feather itself upon her cheeks as Madoka's gentle touches would last a little while longer upon her hands, shoulders, and hips with approaches that didn't seem quite as shy and innocent as before.

She loved Madoka and longed for deeper intimacy. But she was still happy with the late afternoon walks by her side that continued until the sun was low in the sky and lit Madoka's skin as warm as summertime-

"Earth to Homura!"

Homura blinked open her eyes, nearly dropping the broom she was holding as she came to, and realized that she had been in the middle of daydreaming while helping Kyouko and Sayaka clean the classroom on after-school duty. Everyone else had already left on this Friday afternoon, eager for the weekend, leaving the three girls behind in the empty sunset-stained classroom.

Homura didn't know how long she had been standing in place, lost in thought, but one quick glance around the room at the minimal progress made in her temporary absence suggested that it hadn't been long.

"How long are you gonna just stand there?" Kyouko demanded, tossing a damp washcloth at Homura. "Help us clean up. This is already taking forever without you daydreaming every ten seconds."

"Right," Homura mumbled, bringing the washcloth up against the window and putting her mind to the task of vigorously scrubbing away the stains. She sighed, silently bemoaning the fact that this had cut short her afterschool time with Madoka. Instead, the pinkette had apologetically excused herself and shop for groceries.

But even meticulously picking out ingredients sounded far more enticing than the task at hand. Homura wondered how much bad karma she must've stockpiled to be stuck cleaning the classroom on a Friday afternoon with these two.

As if having heard her thoughts, Kyouko seemed to agree. "You'd think a high-tech school like ours would have it's own self-cleaning system, but no, that would be _too _easy," Kyouko grumbled under her breath as she swept away a particularly large clump of dust from the corner into the portable disposal system. "Instead I'm stuck here with '_Apathetic Akemi_' and the '_Knight of Nothing Ever Gets Done With Me Around_'."

"My side of the room is cleaner than yours, you stupid spear-girl!" Sayaka indignantly exclaimed, whirling around.

Kyouko glared at her, fed up enough with cleaning to viciously lash out. "Who're you callin' _stupid_, you caped coward?"

Sayaka returned the irritated look with equal venom. "_You _are, you redheaded Ramen-eating rock-head."

Homura rolled her eyes. _"Here we go..."_

Kyouko frowned, and slowly advanced towards Sayaka, balling her hands into tight fists. "_I'm _stupid? Y'know, if _your _brain was made out of chocolate, it wouldn't even be enough to fill an M&M."

"I'm sure you know a _lot_ about chocolate, you Pocky-eating pig." Sayaka remarked, edging closer to Kyouko until they were mere yards away, glaring daggers at each other.

Kyouko's lips curled up in an acerbic smirk. "Yeah? Well if laughter is supposed to be the best medicine, then the way you fight must be the cure for the whole world."

Sayaka let out a bitter laugh. "_Yeah?_ Well I could drink a bowl of alphabet soup and _spit _out a sentence that makes more sense than half the things you say."

Ignoring the crescendo of commotion, Homura continued scouring away at the window, trying her hardest to focus on the heavenly prospect of finishing quickly and escaping the increasingly sour mood. _"Why me?" _she sighed to herself. Maybe if Mami was here, things would be different. Or even Madoka. Neither Kyouko nor Sayaka would dare fight as much in front of either of those two. _"Why do I end up having to put up with this?"_

"You're the only person who could take an IQ test and have the results come back _negative_!" Kyouko shouted.

"You can try speaking your mind, but then you'd just be _speechless_!" Sayaka retorted with equal volume.

"Well, you're so _dumb_ that the realtors called and asked about renting out the empty space in your head!"

"Well, you're so _ugly_ that I'd have to stay with you all the time, otherwise I'd get a fine for littering!"

On the verge of delivering another insult, Kyouko choked on her words and blinked at Sayaka in confusion. "...You want to stay with me all the time?" she asked, making a face.

"What?! I didn't say that!" Sayaka sputtered, her cheeks burning bright red at the idea. "Are you _stupid_?!"

"_You're _the stupid one here!" Kyouko shot back. She hefted the end of her broom up and leveled it towards Sayaka like a spear. "You wanna go?"

"Yeah, you know, I've _finally_ had it with you!" Sayaka tightly gripped her own broom with two hands, holding it like a Kendo stick ready to strike.

"Are those your last words?" Kyouko spat, eyes glittering with menace. "In that case, I'll-!"

She was stopped short in the middle of swinging her broom when an empty metal bucket appeared out of thin air and bonked her quite forcibly on the head. A loud _'clank' _nearby indicated that Sayaka had been subjected to the same punishment.

"Wha- Hey, Akemi! You're not supposed to use your time-stopping powers like that!" Kyouko snarled at the ravenette across the room, who was noticeably missing two of her buckets.

"Both of you, shut up." Homura glared at both of them. "Or do you want me to tell Tomoe-san about your idiocy?"

Both Kyouko and Sayaka exchanged worried glances and reluctantly put down their respective brooms, meekly returning to their tasks of sweeping the classroom floor. In a matter of seconds, a heavy silence hung over the classroom once again.

"Hey, Akemi," Kyouko chanced to ask after a few minutes, gingerly rubbing at the red mark on her forehead.

"What?"

"So... whaddya think about what I was saying earlier?"

Homura frowned. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Kyouko let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "Seriously, do you ever pay attention?"

"_You're _one to talk." Sayaka idly quipped from the other side of the classroom.

Kyouko whirled around to shoot the blunette a frosty glare before turning back to Homura. "Earlier today, Mami was telling me how she might've found a way to predict when and where a witch will appear. Obviously it wouldn't be perfect, but you know how we're able to sense magical signatures from a witch's miasma? It's kinda like that, only it also deals with sensing population stress. And when people despair, there's bound to be a witch nearby."

"So you're suggesting that Tomoe-san has found a way to apply her magic to sensing and pinpointing population distress?" Homura asked.

Kyouko nodded. "More or less, yeah."

Homura tilted her head in thought. It was true that Mami's magic was intermixed with her feelings of loneliness and longing for friendship, so that might help her understand and sense weak-willed people better than others. _"Still, it doesn't sound quite right," _Homura thought to herself. Sensing magical signatures from a witch and strong feelings of despair from human beings were still largely different. But she didn't say it aloud.

"If that's true, it'd help a lot since it feels like there's more and more witches to fight every week." Sayaka remarked, interested by the concept. "That's our Mami-san alright!"

"_If _it's true," Kyouko echoed. "But something like that still seems pretty far-fetched to me."

"I don't doubt that she's managed to apply her magic like that to a certain degree, though," Homura added. She locked eyes with Kyouko. "On similar note, you mentioned that you had been tracking the witch we fought last night. Did Tomoe-san use this "method" to track that witch?"

Kyouko shook her head. "No, that one caught us all by surprise, since we had just finished taking care of another witch. We weren't prepared for it, so the first time we tried fighting it got sloppy. It summoned a familiar that escaped us, but it split up and we abandoned it for the bigger prey. We ended up taking care of the witch though, so all's well that end's well-"

"You... abandoned a familiar?" Homura quickly interrupted her. "Where is it now?"

Kyouko wrinkled her nose at the sudden question. She shrugged, obviously not having put much prior thought into it. "Probably still roaming, I guess. Mami said she'd take care of it though."

Homura narrowed her eyes. "...Where did you see this familiar last?"

"Near the shopping district, I guess?"

"The shopping district?" Homura frowned, her mind racing. Where had she heard that destination before, earlier today? An icy feeling suddenly gripped her chest as her heart sank into her stomach. "Madoka..."

_"Homura-chan-!"_

"Madoka!" Homura dashed out of the room as soon as she heard Madoka's panicked squeak ring in her mind.

It took exactly six seconds for her to reach the stairs - another eight to sprint down and out the front doors of the school.

The amber sunset of Mitakihara hung on the horizon to greet Homura as she raced past the school gates and out into the bustling city streets. _Over here, _the gentle late-spring breeze seemed to beckon. _Come over here. Your fate awaits._

_"Your troubles may have only just begun." _Kyubey's voice rang at Homura from inside her head.

Gritting her teeth, Homura momentarily paused on a street corner, adrenaline thrumming in her veins, and eyes desperately flickering back and forth across the jungle of buildings as her mind raced to catch up to her torrent of panicked thoughts. Where? Where was Madoka? Where was the fastest route? _There_!

She took off again. By now, exhaustion was catching up to Homura, her legs feeling heavy and breaths coming out in short pants, but she willed herself to run even faster. Her feet pounded against the sidewalks as she desperately tried not to think about the scene that might await her. She was foolish, so _foolish _to leave Madoka alone. Praying hard for Madoka's safety, Homura unapologetically dashed through a crowd of pedestrians, pushing her way through a faceless sea of bodies that soon became a faded swarm in her peripherals.

Not more than half a minute later, Homura spotted the miasma forming by the wayside of an alleyway up ahead. Jumping and quickly transforming on the run, she raced into the half-formed lair. Her eyes went wide as she immediately saw Madoka trembling on the ground, trying to shield herself from an approaching dark, humanoid-coffin-shaped mass.

"Homura-chan-!" A wide-eyed Madoka tried to shout before Homura calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay put. I'll deal with the rest."

As Madoka wordlessly nodded, Homura allowed herself a brief sigh of relief before readying herself. She took a few steps and stopped in front of the familiar, amethyst eyes dangerously narrowed and lasered in on her target.

Upon noticing Homura's presence, the familiar loudly shrieked in frustration and reached out, grabbing towards her. Never once taking her eyes off of the enemy, Homura deftly sidestepped and pulled a gun from her shield, aiming and firing at the enemy.

_BANG. BANG. BANG._

Her bullets struck home, their effectiveness exponentially increased due to the almost point-blank distance. Through a cloud of smoke, the familiar screeched and reeled backwards from the impact, grasping at thin air. When it cleared, Homura recognized that although the familiar had a fairly thick and sturdy outer shell, there were three telling craters in the midsection of the coffin.

As the familiar recovered from the blow, Homura took a quick step back to assess the situation with a clearer mind, and grimaced. Her arsenal was unfortunately slightly limited in close quarters, but when it came to close combat, there was someone who was more useful-

"Hya-ah!" In one swift and fluid motion, Kyouko appeared through the haze like a burning flame and acrobatically propelled herself upwards. From the apex of her jump, she then slashed down at the familiar with her spear. Metal sliced through thick darkness with astonishing efficiency, leaving a gaping cut in its wake. As Kyouko landed on the other side of the flailing familiar, she whirled around and gave a thumbs-up at Homura. "The cavalry's arrived, Akemi! Don't go having fun on your own without the rest of us!"

"This isn't supposed to be fun," Homura briskly remarked, but she allowed herself a small smile after remembering that thankfully, despite Kyouko's loud mouth, the redhead packed a serious punch in a battle.

"Don't forget about me either!" Sayaka yelled as she sprang forward and sliced through the stunned familiar's midsection, jumping away to safety before it had a chance to counterattack.

Homura wordlessly nodded, with barely enough time to acknowledge her companions before having to dodge another attack. More long, thin arms sprouted from all sides of the coffin-like familiar and shot towards the magical girls.

"Too slow!" Kyouko taunted as she brandished her spear, slicing away a few arms that had strayed too close to her. Once the familiar started to advance on her, she glanced and Homura and nodded.

Homura immediately activated her shield as time came screeching to a halt. She had done it many, many times before, but the sudden transition from full-fledged chaotic battle to eerie silence was still slightly unnerving. Quickly estimating the distance from the familiar to Kyouko and Sayaka and deeming it sufficient, she pulled out a grenade, tossed it right next to the familiar, and then willed time to start ticking again.

In a bright explosion, the familiar howled and was immediately enveloped by the flames, disintegrating away into nothingness.

Normally, Homura would have secured the area to make sure that no other stray familiars escaped. But right now, she had higher priorities. The instant the familiar had faded away, Homura immediately rushed to Madoka's side and gently touched her neck, cradling her face. She wanted to comfort her, and tell her how frightened she had been. Instead, she settled upon looking into her brilliantly pink eyes, and asking, "Are you alright?"

The words seemed paltry when compared with the depth of her emotion. A surge of intimacy swelled within her, quelled only by the fact that everyone else was watching.

Madoka shakily nodded, still trying to swallow down the fright from the close encounter. She blinked rapidly, and gave Homura a comforting smile. "I am now. Thank you, Homura-chan..." she trailed off and glanced down at the ground. "I was just walking home when all of a sudden I was attacked. I'm sorry I caused you trouble..."

"These witches and familiars are getting awfully aggressive lately..." Kyouko muttered, hefting her spear over her shoulder and surveying the area to reaffirm that the present danger was gone. A dark look crossed her face. "Not to mention there's just more and more."

"Everyone-!" Mami raced into the alleyway, before stopping to catch her breath. She stared at them, not bothering to conceal her surprise as her worried gaze lingered upon Madoka. "Akemi-san, Kaname-san, I'm sorry, if I had just-"

Homura shook her head. "No, don't apologize. It's not your fault. We were all careless."

She had been careless to let this happen. She had gotten complacent and overconfident after a few weeks of relative inactivity. Homura mentally kicked herself, silently vowing that there would be no second slip-up.

"So..." Kyouko began.

"So?" Homura echoed in confusion.

Kyouko tilted her head towards Homura and Madoka, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Are you two gonna let go anytime soon or what?"

The proximity to Madoka suddenly hit Homura in a rush of heat to her cheeks that she was happy to blame on the adrenaline from the close encounter with the familiar. Both she and Madoka jerked away and started to frantically wave their hands to dispel the misunderstanding, but knowing smiles had appeared on all of the other girls' faces before they managed to verbalize their thoughts into coherency.

"Hey, don't let us interrupt your _private _time together," Kyouko snidely remarked, which seemed to alleviate the dour mood hanging over everyone else. She walked over and promptly placed her hands on Homura's shoulder before the latter had a chance to react, starting to deeply massage them. "But I want in on this action too sometimes, y'know?"

Homura winced under the sudden massage, although she knew she'd be lying if she said it felt unpleasant. Instead, Homura satisfied herself by frowning at Kyouko. "What are you doing?"

Kyouko innocently grinned. "I'm just loosening your shoulders, Homura. You're our _ace_ after all. With your time-stopping powers, we can beat any witch. All of our hopes and dreams rest upon _these_ shoulders. So I want to make sure they're feeling well rested for the next battle."

"I don't understand you at all..." Homura muttered, shaking her head. "Next time, you need to make sure you deal with any remaining familiars as quickly as possible," she added, tossing a look over her shoulder at the rest of the magical girls. Her expression was grim, and her tone was no less solemn.

"Says who?" Kyouko asked.

"Says common sense." Homura firmly stated.

"Common sense isn't a person. Therefore it can't talk." Sayaka smugly chipped in, and Kyouko snickered.

A resigned sigh escaped Homura's lips. "I'm surrounded by idiots..." she muttered to no one in particular.

"Idiots?" Kyouko feigned a look around. "Where?"

Instead of continuing the pointless banter, Homura merely rolled her eyes.

"So with Homura-chan, you can beat any witch, right?" Madoka asked, staring at Homura with eyes full of awe.

Homura wilted under such an innocently admiring gaze. "W-We can certainly try, at least," she managed.

"But we always succeed 'cuz we're awesome!" Kyouko grinned, clapping a hand on Homura's back as the latter doubled over. Homura shot Kyouko an icy glare, but the redhead was already looking away innocently.

"It's worrisome that this familiar managed to escape our detection for as long as it did, though..." Homura trailed off into uncertainty, her words lost in the wind soughing through the alleyway.

Her thoughts were cut short when she felt someone tugging on her sleeve. _Madoka_. Homura glanced at her to see an expression mixed with forced confidence and slight apprehension.

"It's alright for now." Homura calmly reassured her. "You're safe now."

Madoka shook her head. "I'm worried about you, Homura-chan," she said, her voice soft and unsteady. Her cheeks were flushed and eyes brimming with worry, just a mere matter of inches away from Homura's own face. "I don't want a witch to ambush you like it did to me."

Homura had to fight back a blush from spreading across her own cheeks. _S-She's so cute... How can someone be so kind and innocent?_

"That aside," Sayaka began, jabbing a thumb in the general direction of the school. "Someone still needs to go finish our job."

Realization sunk in for Homura like being splashed with a bucket of cold water. Wordlessly, she glanced at Sayaka, then at Kyouko. "You-"

Kyouko jumped away and held up her hands. "Hey, we're idiots, remember? We'll just get in your way."

And before Homura could stop either her or Sayaka, they had already escaped down the street, their teasing laughter ringing through the cityscape.

Mami sighed along with Homura. "I'm sorry they're so irresponsible sometimes," Mami said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Don't worry, I'll accompany Madoka-san back home."

"I'll help you with cleaning if you want!" Madoka offered, but Homura shook her head.

"It shouldn't take long. We were almost done anyways."

Madoka gazed at her, as if trying to read her inner thoughts. "Are you sure?"

Homura nodded. "I'm positive. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Come on now, Madoka-san," Mami said as she began leading the way for Madoka. "Let's hurry home before we worry Akemi-san any longer."

Madoka gave Homura once last wistful glance over her shoulder, before following after Mami. For the second time in under a day, Homura found herself waving goodbye to Madoka, watching and waiting until the pinkette had disappeared around the next intersection.

_Should I… confess?_

It wasn't the first time Homura had thought about it. The thought had appeared quietly in the back of her mind one day after school.

But it was justified, wasn't it? Because she had gotten even closer with Madoka these past few weeks… right? Homura knew for certain that Madoka didn't talk for hours on end with anyone else. Madoka didn't treat anyone else with the same attentive care as she did for her. Perhaps that was just a part of her ego showing through, but Homura desperately hoped that there was a chance for her.

Dating was obviously a foreign concept to Homura. But then she had met Madoka, and _everything_ changed. Madoka was an entire spectrum of color. She kept Homura's life interesting, kept her on her toes with unpredictability in love, making her heart skip at the sight of her soft smile and sound of her gentle voice. It was only natural to want to be even closer...

Homura knew that she was never going to get anywhere if she didn't make a move.

By the time Madoka had waved goodbye and hurried home with Mami, a plan was already formulating in Homura's mind. School was out on Monday for a holiday. Perhaps if she stopped by the park on Sunday evening, the same time she always met up with Madoka, she could probably convey her feelings then. Homura nodded.

Yeah, that sounded good.


	2. Chapter 2: Shimmering like Stardust

**Heartache**

Chapter 2 - Shimmering like Stardust

* * *

><p><em>Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today, and I'll always remember it.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>(Saturday)<strong>

Homura awoke to another average morning in her house, consisting of warm weather and birds chirping right outside her bedroom window. She stirred, blearily opening one eye, and glanced at her alarm clock. Half-past nine.

Reluctantly sitting up, Homura stifled a yawn and tried to rub the drowsiness out of her eyes. It was finally Saturday, she realized with anticipation. Today was the day she was going to confess to Madoka. Homura briefly considered snatching another few minutes of rest to settle her nerves, but fully ripened rays of honey-golden sunlight were already spilling from her bedroom window onto the floor.

Homura wasn't really a morning person, but she didn't particularly like the idea of wasting her precious weekend either.

After dragging herself out of bed, Homura went over to her closet and threw on the first t-shirt and shorts she could find, briefly studying her outfit in the bathroom mirror. Unlike other girls her age, fashion wasn't a concern to her, especially in her free time. She preferred comfortable clothes that were slightly loose, which were also more practical for running or fighting in the event of an emergency. Her long raven-black hair gently fell down her shoulders and back, and she didn't bother tying it up. Nodding her approval at her reflection, Homura then walked down the small hallway into her spacious living room and kitchen.

After fixing together and eating a simple breakfast consisting of cereal and toast, Homura zipped on a light windbreaker and headed out with a destination already in mind. She opened the door, greeted by the gentle morning chill brushing across her face as she closed and locked her front door behind her.

_It's a slow morning today, with clouds and drizzling in some locations, _a nearby car radio murmured to her from down the street. _The weather should warm up in time for tomorrow evening as we look forward to the late spring season..._

As Homura headed down the relatively quieter parts of the inner city, the rest of the world seemed to gradually come to life on the sluggish weekend morning. Everything looked soft in the morning light, like someone had dripped watercolor all over the boulevards and avenues. Occasionally, she had to step aside for an oncoming sparsely-dressed jogger or slouching college student, but the little other disturbances and ambient noise were easily ignored. The quietly enchanting dream-like scene that only existed during the morning hours captivated Homura with its ethereal beauty. Mitakihara City in the late springtime was quite beautiful, and she enjoyed this time of year.

Homura eventually made a turn into the library, immediately recognizing the nostalgic smell of books when she entered. She loved the quiet and relaxing atmosphere, which played a big part in drawing her back every week to check out more books. The local library was small, but homely, and housed all the stories she would ever want to read. She would usually check out two at a time, delve into them for a week, and then exchange them for another pair. It was part of her weekend routine, and she was by now a familiar face for the librarians.

Silently gliding across the library, Homura started to wander down the aisles of books that towered over her, holding countless stories and adventures waiting to be read. She picked out a book, and then retreated to a nearby table to sit down and begin immersing herself in the novel. Life was always hectic with her responsibilities as a magical girl. But here, she could find solace in reading, being able to melt away into a whole new world apart from her current one. She could spend hours reading, which to her felt like mere minutes.

So when Homura heard the sound of footsteps approaching not a few seconds later, she wasn't entirely surprised when she looked at the clock to find out that it had actually been an hour.

"Homura."

Homura didn't bother glancing up from her book, especially when she recognized the all-too-familiar voice. She stuck her head further into the book and tried to ignore the approaching figure.

"Homuraaa."

Homura stared intently at the sentence she was in the middle of reading, hoping to dissuade further interaction, but to no avail.

"Hey, Homuraaa, don't ignore me-"

The book in front of Homura suddenly tipped backwards, and she found herself face-to-face with Kyouko. Kyouko grinned, her crimson eyes flashing mere inches away from Homura's face. Homura jerked backwards and her chair precariously teetered, losing its balance. Just as Homura thought she was about to crash over backwards and look like an idiot in front of everyone else in the library, a firm hand grabbed her wrist and she felt herself being tugged into a warm chest. _Kyouko's_, to be exact.

As Homura remained pressed up against Kyouko, dumbfounded, she felt several curious stares burning into the side of her cheek. Great, now she looked even _more _like an idiot.

"What do you want?" Homura hissed, pushing herself away from Kyouko and glaring at her.

"Why do _I _always have to want something?" Kyouko asked, feigning a hurt look. "Every time I come near you, you always ask _'What do you want?'_ or _'Why are you here?'_. Did you ever think that maybe I'm _not_ after something? Maybe I'm just here to make idle chat with you?"

"The day you approach me merely to make 'idle chat' will worry me more than any another ulterior motives you might otherwise have."

"And why's that?" Kyouko asked. She took a seat on the edge of the table, and Homura noted with dismay that she wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.

"Because you aren't someone who would usually approach others without a purpose." Homura said tersely.

"Oh, so I'm a selfish person?"

"I didn't say that."

Kyouko laughed despite the attention and stares she was attracting. "Well maybe my purpose is just to see you. I think you're a very _interesting_ person," she added with a fanged smirk. "And your reactions keep my day interesting too."

"So you're only interested in my reactions?"

"Oh, I didn't say that." Kyouko said, and she snickered again when Homura tried to frown indignantly.

"If that's all you're here for, then just leave already," Homura said, sitting back in her chair and pulling the book up to her face again. "I want to be left in peace for once," she mumbled into the pages.

"I'm not good enough for your attention? And to think I ditched shopping with Sayaka for _this_," Kyouko muttered. She sighed when Homura didn't reply. "Okay fine, there _might _be another reason why I'm here-"

"You were shopping with Miki-san?" Homura suddenly said, glancing back up at Kyouko.

"Yeah, remember how she's always been trying to bring me to shop for clothes? Well today she finally dragged me to the mall..." Kyouko trailed off, shaking her head in disgust. "I don't think I've ever been through a more _boring_ experience in my entire life. How do people even look at clothes for hours and hours?"

_Ah, I can relate somewhat, _Homura thought. Instead, she asked, "How did you get here?"

"I ran."

"But Miki-san-"

"I slipped away while she had her attention diverted."

Homura slowly nodded, digesting the information. "I may not be in a position to say this," she began. "-but you're quite a bad person for ditching someone who went through all the trouble to shop for _your _clothes."

Kyouko winced. "That hurts, especially coming from you. But there was a reason for it. While I was getting dragged to go shopping, Mami telepathically told me that she wanted to talk to both of us."

Homura frowned. "About what?"

"I don't know," Kyouko admitted. When Homura's grim look deepened, Kyouko threw her a half-reassuring smile. "I guess we'll just have to find out when we get to her place."

Homura briefly mulled the idea. Whatever Mami wanted to talk about could lead to necessary action, which had the potential for disrupting her plans with Madoka tomorrow evening. After all the mental preparation that had gone into her plan to confess, she wasn't about to let it be torn away. "Tell her I'm busy," Homura muttered as she submerged herself in her novel once again. "We can talk in a few days."

"She said it was urgent," Kyouko continued. "Believe me, I'm not exactly thrilled either. But the way she sounded… I think we should listen to what she has to say, at least."

"Really?"

"Yeah." The serious look in Kyouko's eyes wasn't something Homura was used to seeing.

When a few seconds passed and Kyouko hadn't budged from her spot, Homura dropped the book and let out a long sigh. "Fine," she said, rubbing her forehead. "I suppose I'll entertain her with my presence for a little while. But this had better be quick."

* * *

><p>The walk to Mami's apartment was mild, since it was still early in the day. Along the way, Kyouko insisted upon grabbing bagels for breakfast at a nearby food stand, which she were currently cradling in her arms. And since she didn't carry money on her, Homura ended up being the one who had to bear the brunt of the cost. After silently lamenting the thinning of her wallet, Homura shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and sighed, wondering how she always seemed to get caught up in situations like these.<p>

"Want one?" Kyouko offered in-between bites when she caught Homura looking.

"I already ate." Homura said, but she accepted one anyways when Kyouko insisted.

"Today's the perfect day to eat outside, y'know," Kyouko said. "Enjoy it while you can."

Homura glanced up at the gray blanket of clouds and wrinkled her nose at the weather. A stray breeze nipped at her body, and she shivered. "It's a little bit cold," Homura argued. "And it's all cloudy now. I prefer warmer and sunnier weather."

"Yeah, but if it gets too warm and sunny, that's when all the annoying bugs come out to attack you while you're eating."

"Then don't eat outside."

Kyouko shrugged. "You've got a pretty simple solution to everything, don'tcha?"

Homura nodded. "I like to think of it as being pragmatic."

"So anyways, you think Mami called for us because of the witches?" Kyouko asked, gulping down the rest of her bagels in a flash and tossing away her trash.

Homura watched the crumpled paper bag sail into the trashcan. "I doubt it's just to share morning tea with her, so yes."

There had been a slight increase in the number of witches in the past week. Their steadily growing presence was both a relief, for the abundant supply of grief seeds, but also a source of tension. It wasn't a situation they couldn't handle, but Homura was starting to feel worried, if only a little.

"Y'know," Kyouko began. "I'm not really feeling this whole witch-battling thing, if one decides to show up anytime soon. There's a new arcade machine and sweets store calling my name, so I think I might take a sick day later this week."

Homura frowned. "Then who will be our close-range fighter?"

"Eh, Sayaka can take care of it by herself, can't she?"

Homura immediately shivered at the prospect of relying solely upon the blunette. Sayaka didn't lack zeal and certainly had good intentions, but the road to hell was paved with those. "You know how Tomoe-san and I feel about that..." Homura muttered, trying not to remember the last time Kyouko had been absent from a witch battle and she had to coordinate all of her attacks with Sayaka.

That experience had made Homura seriously consider learning how to become proficient with a sword to prevent repeating another similar experience.

Obviously Kyouko must have had her own experiences fighting alongside Sayaka, because she also paled at the idea. "It'll be fine," she said, though her voice wavered slightly. "Just relax."

"_You _relax."

"Look, I'll lend you my spear if you're that worried about leaving all that responsibility to Sayaka."

"But I don't know how to use a spear," Homura argued.

Kyouko snorted. "C'mon, it's just a spear. What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"

"If it was really that easy, then you wouldn't be very useful to us in the first place," Homura said. "And anyways, if Tomoe-san finds out that you were skipping a witch battle, she's going to kill you."

Kyouko blanched at the thought of an angry Mami. "Well, I'll just say that I was busy helping a kid get her cat down from a tree. That oughta be good enough, right?"

"Whatever you say." Homura said, rolling her eyes. She didn't say another word until they had arrived in front of Mami's apartment. She rang the doorbell, and the door swung open to reveal Mami standing in the doorway, dressed in her casual clothes.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, you two. I'm happy you could make it," Mami said, smiling when she laid her eyes upon them, but it lacked any real warmth in lieu of the sober mood.

Kyouko shrugged. "S'okay. It's not like I had anything better to do."

"I had better things to do," Homura flatly said, her frown drawn bitter in the chilly breeze. "But you're welcome anyways."

"Come on in," Mami held the door open for them as they entered the cozy apartment. "You can sit at the coffee table. I've already prepared tea and cookies for us."

"That's always the one thing you can count on whenever you come here," Kyouko said, grinning as she obediently sauntered over to the living room and plopped down on the carpet. Homura took a seat on the adjacent side of the coffee table and folded her arms. She didn't know how long this was going to take, so she didn't bother taking off her jacket yet. A cursory glance around revealed the warm, homely place she was accustomed to seeing. Even after Walpurgisnacht, Tomoe Mami had not changed much.

Mami brought the tray of tea and sweets a minute later, setting it down on the tabletop and distributing the teacups to everyone. As Kyouko chugged her share and began wolfing down the chocolate-chip cookies, Homura sipped at her steaming apple-flavored drink. As expected, the taste was excellent. But that wasn't what she was here for.

"What was so urgent that you asked us to come right away?" Homura asked as Mami took a seat at the opposite end of the table.

"Have I told you about my theory yet?" Mami asked in response.

Homura frowned, thinking back to what Kyouko had mentioned to her yesterday. "You claimed you were able to predict when and where a witch might appear?"

"Yes, but only within a week or so. And obviously it's not perfect, so I may miss predicting some witches," Mami admitted with a resigned sigh. "But it's a unique skill that I have been testing recently, and I have a good degree of confidence in it."

"You weren't able to predict that familiar that showed up yesterday though," Kyouko pointed out, and Mami winced.

"Right... like I said, it's not a perfect indicator by any means. I'm just glad we were able to reach Kaname-san in time-"

Homura cleared her throat. "So? Is that all you had to tell us?"

"Unfortunately, no." Mami folded her hands on the tabletop and glanced down on the teacup in front of her. Silence reigned supreme for a few seconds, until she continued: "I believe a witch will appear a week from now, sometime next Friday evening."

"That's it?" Kyouko shrugged, gulping down the remains of the sweets. "That's nice to know in advance, I guess. But what's the big deal about it?"

Mami's frown deepened into a grimace, and she shook her head. "This upcoming witch feels more dangerous than the witches we're used to fighting. It's hard to describe, but there's a deep flow of negative energy waiting to surface soon. I can just feel it."

"So... it's a strong witch then?" Kyouko asked.

"More than that. It's destructive power could be comparable to Walpurgisnacht."

Homura flinched at the word, throwing an incredulous look at Mami, though she wasn't looking in her direction. She glanced down at her lap and vigorously shook her head. Walpurgisnacht was dead. Gone. Vanquished. Even if there was a strong witch, there was nothing she had to worry about, as long as she could get everyone else to cooperate with her.

But this was her perfect timeline. Could she fight and risk something going wrong, only to have everything be torn asunder from her again? When Homura squeezed her eyes shut, she could almost see the wasteland of destruction from Walpurgisnacht - she could almost hear the desperate screams and cries of everyone else-

"You okay over there?" Kyouko suddenly asked.

Homura squinted back, not wanting to open her eyes fully and let in the harsh streams of light from the fluorescents. "Ah, yes, sorry," she mumbled.

There was a pause in which Mami and Kyouko exchanged looks, communicating silently. Something fluttered on the edge of Homura's mind, but she couldn't be bothered enough to listen in and try to decipher what it was. The telepathic link was gone within seconds.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kyouko asked again.

"I'm fine." Homura muttered. "Just... something about this is bothering me."

A black blur zipped past the window behind Mami's head, and Homura watched as a black dot - a crow - flapped its wings several times before gliding behind another apartment building. A childish part of Homura remembered hearing about how crows were bad omens, and how scared she used to be to see a couple of them nestling by the windows of her house. She hadn't thought about the superstition in years, but it was creeping up on her now.

Kyouko drew her attention back to Mami. "You sure something like that's gonna come?" She asked, her tone under-laid with slight skepticism. "It's not like I don't trust you, but this kinda came out of nowhere."

Mami nodded. "I would count on it. But I don't want to cause any alarm yet, so I haven't told Miki-san nor Kaname-san about this. Because this will be a powerful witch, I would prefer not to get them involved."

A vicious grin knifed its way across Kyouko's face. "So it'll just be us three fighting it? I won't have to hold back anymore?"

"Yes. Even if it's a strong witch, we should be able to take care of it." Mami looked at Kyouko, then at Homura. "But first, I would like you two to survey the area in which I believe it will appear-"

"Is that really necessary?" Homura quickly cut in. She traded glances with Mami, inwardly hoping to convince herself out of this. One troublesome thing could lead to another, and before she knew it, her promised time with Madoka tomorrow evening would be swept away by something else. When neither Mami nor Kyouko said a word, she felt her voice starting to fail on her. "I mean, we've practiced our battle formations on other witches for the past few weeks, and it's something we've become quite proficient in. As long as we execute the same tactics, the outcome for this witch should be no different."

"It doesn't hurt to be extra cautious though, especially for a sudden situation like this." Mami calmly pointed out.

"Still-"

"And can you really blame me for being over-protective for you two?" Mami asked. "Especially after all that we've been through?"

Homura swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as she shook her head. Memories of past timelines began to flicker into her mind. "I guess not," she said quietly, her gaze dropping a little. At her subdued tone, Mami's expression softened, the tips of her lips curling up into another warm smile.

"You both mean the world to me," Mami said sincerely. "And I'd hate to lose either of you. The last thing I want is us risking our lives because we didn't take the necessary precautions. So, you two can do this, right?"

"...it depends," Homura reluctantly muttered.

"She meant to say 'yes'," Kyouko quickly interjected, ignoring the glare Homura shot in her direction. There was no doubt she just wanted an excuse to avoid shopping with Sayaka for the rest of the day.

When Mami beamed, Homura sighed in resignation. Later, she would remember tucking a strand of hair behind an ear as she listened to the exact details of their mission. It had been a while since she had been so serious about planning for an enemy. The last time it had for Walpurgisnacht, which they all had eventually succeeded in defeating.

Looking out the window, Homura tried to summon that same confidence from that time.

* * *

><p><strong>(Saturday afternoon)<strong>

"So, you think this witch is gonna be as tough as Walpurgisnacht?" Kyouko asked when they had left Mami's apartment.

Homura narrowed her eyes. "No, didn't you hear Tomoe-san? A witch with the power of Walpurgisnacht is a rarity. And anyways, stop using that name so carelessly."

"What, you mean Walpurgisnacht?" Kyouko blinked. "It doesn't matter, does it? We beat it anyways."

Homura bit her lip. "Yeah, right..."

Kyouko hooked an arm around Homura's shoulder and grinned. "Hey, relax. We've been through a bunch of dangerous situations before, but none of us have ever died, right? This shouldn't be any different."

"I get it, alright? Now please move your arm off of me."

"Yeah, yeah."

Homura sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time since she'd met up with Kyouko today. _She's way too relaxed about this, _Homura thought. _And here I am, worrying about something that could possibly be nothing after all. At any rate, I need to complete this task quickly-_

Homura stopped and whirled around when she noticed Kyouko had stopped walking. Kyouko's eyes were intently focused in her direction. She couldn't tell if the redhead was actively watching her or was just simply deep in thought - either of which were unusual to begin with.

"Ready?" Kyouko suddenly asked.

Homura nodded. "Let's get this over with," she briskly remarked. She was half-expecting a witty remark from Kyouko in response, but the redhead didn't deliver. Instead, Kyouko continued to stare at Homura with furrowed brows, as if contemplating something.

Homura stared back at her, the silence swallowing them for what felt like minutes. "Do you see something you like?" She finally asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. _Always_, when it comes to you." Kyouko replied, a cheeky smile flashing on her face before disappearing again. Her expression grew more solemn. "Look Homura, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is there something on your mind?"

Suddenly, Homura found herself freezing under Kyouko's watchful gaze, memories of lost timelines crashing into her conscious like tidal waves. Instinctively, she jerked away.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine," Kyouko quickly added.

"Maybe some other time then," Homura said, trying to sort through her thoughts. "It's just something I can't exactly put into words right now. Besides," she added. "-are you sure _you _aren't the one acting strange recently?"

"Me? No, I'm fine." Kyouko said, flashing her trademark fanged grin. "If you want, I can prove it to you the next time we pass a taiyaki stand."

"No thank you." Homura quickly said.

Kyouko laughed, and Homura indignantly pursed her lips together, shaking her head. Their conversation was put on hold in lieu of the raucous car honks and bustling crowds of the inner metropolis, until they reached the outskirts about a block down the dark side of the city. By then, the sky was beginning to attract a late amber tinge, and Homura felt like she had been walking for ages today. And all after she'd initially planned to spend a quiet Saturday reading in the library...

"So, I didn't mention it earlier, but I actually don't understand what we're supposed to be doing," Kyouko admitted as she walked alongside Homura down the late afternoon cityscape. The central shopping plaza was receding in the distance behind them, giving way to unfinished housing developments barely illuminated by streetlights.

"We're scouting." Homura tersely said, keeping her eyes peeled to the alleyways branching off the almost-empty street.

"For what?" Kyouko asked. "It's not like we know what the witch's lair is gonna look like until we're in it."

"No, but we can determine a likely spot where the opening for the lair will appear. You and I are experienced with fighting witches, so we're more attuned to the subtle nuances of their movements and patterns from previous battles."

"And… you're relying on me for something like that?"

"No." Homura immediately replied without batting an eye.

"Well at least you're honest," Kyouko muttered under her breath. "But who cares what our surroundings look like? It doesn't matter if we beat the witch before we even have the time to look around. It's not like we're gonna take a selfie of our victory afterwards and post it on Kyubey's instagram with the caption '_Hey, wish you were here! Got another grief seed for you to collect #WitchHunt #MitakiharaFiveCleanUpCrew_'... Or wait, is that over 140 characters?"

Homura placed her hand against her forehead, trying to ease a headache. "You _do _realize that _you _were the one who _wanted _to do this in the first place, _right_? So since I'm _stuck _here with _you_, I might as well do something at least semi-useful. Besides, if the witch is powerful enough like Walpurgisnacht, it doesn't need it's own lair. In the event that happens, it'll be useful to know our surroundings in advance."

Kyouko frowned, trying to digest Homura's words. "But I really don't feel like doing this now… Can't we just call it a night and go home?"

"You do know that we'll have to report back to Tomoe-san with _something_, right? And that she'll think twice about inviting you over for tea and cake next time if you return empty-handed?"

"Oh, good point. Also, it's kinda scary when you start talking slowly like you are right now-"

"Just shut up and help me try to memorize the visual layout of this area."

Kyouko sighed, lacing her fingers together behind her head. "Sheesh, why does the world have to be so complicated? It's like shopping; why do you have to buy things in pairs? I told Sayaka I was fine with any shirt and shorts, but-"

"I recall saying 'shut up'."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Homura rolled her eyes. _And to think this girl is the one I trust the most in a fight..._

But surprisingly, despite technically being an outsider, Kyouko still maintained knowledge of Mitakihara's city routes better than anyone else - tracing the pavement as she wove around the outskirts and abandoned lots. Before long, they found the place where Mami had instructed them to go.

Kyouko frowned at the row of dark buildings connected by a network of alleyways in the back. The ends of the street were bounded by rusted chain-link fences and unfinished structures, which looked more like obstacles to keep people out. "Looks like a pretty shady place to me," she observed as Homura nodded her silent agreement. Neither of them found the collection of broken windows and cracked shingles that scattered the area particularly inviting.

"Let's make this quick then." Homura said, noting how far the sun had fallen to the horizon by now. Chipped cement, dust, and rubble crunched underfoot as they warily entered the steel and concrete jungle. Homura half-expected to stumble upon a gang of shady people when they rounded the first corner of the alleyway, but thankfully, the entire place seemed to be deserted.

"Over there," Kyouko pointed at the back end of the construction site, where an elevator shaft rose up from the ground all the way to the top. "We can use that to get a bird's eye view over this whole place."

Homura arched an eyebrow. Kyouko certainly had an affinity for taking risks whenever possible. "I doubt we're allowed to use that." She said.

"It'll make this go by faster." Kyouko pointed out.

"True," Homura conceded the point, but wasn't entirely convinced. She threw a glance back over her shoulder, listening for any sounds in the distance. Nothing. The choices ran across the forefront of her mind before she finally made an executive decision. "Fine." Homura eventually said, walking up to the elevator, and pressed the button. "We'll do this your way, for now."

"So," Kyouko began as she shoved her hands into her jean pockets, kicking at a stray soda can. "Are you a party animal at night, by any chance?"

"You know I don't stay up late often," Homura replied, keeping her gaze trained upwards and waiting for the elevator to descend.

Kyouko eyed the large area around them. "You know this is probably gonna take up most of the night, right?"

Homura grimaced. "I know."

"And you know that we've gotta wake up early tomorrow because we made a mess of the classroom while cleaning last Friday, so we have to do it again, right?"

"Shut up."

"...and I'm going to be skipping that anyways."

"..."

"...and Madoka's worried face when she sees that you haven't been sleeping enough is-"

"If anyone should have a worried face, it should be you before I put my fist through it."

Kyouko slowly backed away. "...and Madoka's look of disappointment when she finds out how much you abuse me is-"

_Ding._ The elevator opened with a soft chime. Homura shot Kyouko a frosty glare before stepping into the small box. "Don't forget to take note of everything you see up there, moron."

Kyouko sighed as she followed after Homura. "I don't get compensated with enough food for this…"

It wasn't until they reached the roof of the building that Homura began to have major doubts about what they were doing. The complex they were currently standing on top of wasn't more than four or five stories high, but there wasn't a fence around the edge of the roof to prevent anyone from falling to their demise. The breeze picked up, nudging Homura, and she began to feel her legs grow wobbly. She nervously watched as Kyouko sauntered over to the perimeter and peered down below.

"You can see everything really well from up here," Kyouko called back with a look of self-satisfaction. "This was a good idea. By _yours truly_, of course."

"Oh?" Homura folded her arms, gingerly walking across to the redhead. "And do you have any bright ideas about how we're supposed to traverse over the roofs of these buildings?"

"Do you know what parkour is?" Kyouko asked, a faint grin beginning to etch itself upon her lips.

Homura blinked. "Sort of. Why?"

"Then just think of this scouting mission as training to become a better magical girl!" Kyouko shouted as she took off across the building. And before Homura could say anything, Kyouko had already reached the edge of the roof and leaped into the air.

For the next few seconds, Homura felt her heart immediately drop into her stomach as time seemed to move in slow motion, and she had to check to make sure that she hadn't actually activated her time shield out of pure shock. Kyouko was hanging in midair for what felt like forever. There was such a beautiful arc to Kyouko's jump, and even Kyouko must have realized it, because it showed on her face. Then, Kyouko landed on the adjacent rooftop, and Homura let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

Kyouko turned around and looked at Homura with a smug look. "What'd you think?" She asked.

"Are you _stupid_?" Homura exclaimed once she had found her voice again. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What are you talking about?" Kyouko waved impatiently at her. "Come on, just jump over."

Homura lingered at the edge and peered down at the alleyway that looked miles below. "I'm not going to do something stupid like that."

"Homura, the gap is like two feet wide. You could just _step _across if you really wanted to."

After Homura tensely stepped across to the next building, joining Kyouko on the other side, Kyouko took off again. "C'mon, let's hurry this up!" She shouted back as this time, Homura followed right behind her.

Compared to the first building, this one was much bigger, and its roof wasn't finished. Traces of the progressing construction were left in the form of skeletal metal beams arching across the rooftop, piles of concrete bricks, and large gaps that led down into the lower floors. After jumping through and over all of the obstacles, Kyouko slid down one of these gaps and traced her way through to the opposite side of the building. A minute later, she came to a stop. Homura staggered to a standstill behind her, pausing to catch her breath.

"Wait, don't... go... so fast... next time," she managed to choke out, doubling over when it became too hard to stand up immediately.

Kyouko glanced back and smiled roguishly. "Your stamina has increased by five points!" she announced before jumping down to the next lower landing. Again, Homura followed suit, awkwardly trying to keep her footing on the slick metal fire escape.

"Your agility has increased by two points!" Kyouko called back. Her smirk sparkled with amusement, and a devilish laugh followed at Homura's wintry glare.

When they reached the end of the building again, Kyouko leapt off of the railing, silently landing onto the ground below like a cat. She looked up and waved at Homura to follow suit. "Don't worry, I'll catch you," she said when Homura hesitated.

"Are you sure?" Homura shakily asked, gingerly peering down below. It had to be at least a ten feet drop. Maybe eleven.

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine. I promise."

Homura swallowed and summoned her courage, about to jump when-

"Uh-oh."

Homura skidded to a stop at the sound of uncertainty in Kyouko's voice and jerked backwards. "W-What is it?" she anxiously exclaimed.

Kyouko grinned up at her. "Nah, it's nothing. Just checking to make sure you're paying attention."

"Oh, I am so going to kill you when I get down there." Homura muttered, giving Kyouko a murderous glare.

"Yeah? I'm waiting for it."

Homura closed her eyes and jumped. For a split second, she was free, soaring high like a bird. But then her foot caught on the edge of the railing a millisecond later, and she instantly knew that her graceful flight was short lived. Homura considered trying to turn back around in midair and catch herself on the balcony again, but by then, she was already hurtling down towards the ground at an awkward angle. Thankfully, Kyouko was at the bottom to catch her.

Well, Homura would've called it 'catching her' if Kyouko's arms didn't turn to spaghetti upon impact and ended up depositing her rather ungracefully on the cement. They both collapsed into a pile against the cold, hard surface.

"Ow..." Homura groaned, reaching for her throbbing head. She knew that this was a stupid idea after all. Shifting her leg to move her weight off of the bruise forming on her hip, she decided that she'd just lie here for another few seconds until she summoned the energy and self-esteem to pick herself up again.

But when Homura heard a snicker that wasn't stifled in the slightest, her energy came flooding back in full force. She sat up and indignantly whirled around at Kyouko.

Kyouko, even though she had been on the bottom of the impact, recovered far more quickly. She rose to her feet, brushed herself off, and sighed. Then, she looked at Homura.

"Well, after that, your stupidity and clumsiness have both increased by twenty points-"

The next few minutes were spent as a fuming Homura chased after a wildly grinning Kyouko through the dark alleyway.

* * *

><p><strong>(Saturday night)<strong>

After Homura had finally caught up to Kyouko and extracted her share of revenge, they breathlessly slumped against the wall in the alleyway, trying to recover from the excitement. Homura glanced over at the redhead, who still looked extremely amused at the sequence of events.

"I didn't know you could run that fast," Kyouko mused aloud.

"I was fueled by revenge." Homura muttered when she had finished catching her breath. "Anyways, did you remember everything you saw back there?"

Kyouko blinked in confusion. "I was supposed to?"

Homura shot her a glare, and Kyouko laughed. "I'm kidding, sheesh. Obviously I remember."

"Can't you be serious for once?" Homura muttered under her breath.

Kyouko looked at her. "Homura, I'm always serious."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

Kyouko started to laugh again, but she winced in pain. "Ugh," she groaned, grabbing her side and sliding over sideways to the ground. "You didn't have to go that far though. I think you got more revenge than you were due."

"No, I got _exactly _the right amount of revenge." Homura firmly stated.

"I think I'm gonna die, Homura..."

"Go buy life insurance and write a will before you do then."

"Fine, I'll leave you... with... my jacket..."

"I don't want your jacket. I want your share of grief seeds and all the money you've made me pay to buy you food."

Kyouko sat back up and stretched her arms above her head, sighing. "Hey, imagine how expensive life insurance is gonna be for us when we grow up and people find out that I work part-time as a magical girl."

Homura gave her a strange look. "Since when was being a magical girl not a full-time ordeal for you?"

"Well, I like to think I'm a magical girl along with being a culinary connoisseur."

"Stuffing yourself with cakes on a daily basis doesn't count as being a culinary connoisseur, even if the amount you manage to inhale in a sitting is impressive." Homura pointed out.

Kyouko folded her arms. "You laugh now, but one day I'm going to be a famous host of a food channel. I'll travel across the country and try all different kinds of taiyaki-"

"There's really only one type of taiyaki, you know…"

Kyouko shrugged. "Well jokes aside, I think I'd like to go back to my home town in the future. Y'know, to see if I can start something with my father's old church. There's tons of city orphans out there like me… I was thinking that there's no one to watch over them and give them a home, so I might give it a try…"

Homura slowly nodded, glancing at the unusually peaceful look on Kyouko's face before glancing down at her own lap. "…that's unusually sweet coming from someone like you." She softly said.

Kyouko grinned again. "Hey, don't act like you don't have any future dreams either!" She exclaimed, playfully messing with Homura's hair. "Though I bet most of it involves being Madoka's wife!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Homura muttered, pushing Kyouko away. She quickly rose to her feet, brushing off her shorts. "Anyways, let's finish up here. There's just one place we haven't checked yet."

"Alright, let's roll."

They wandered down the alleyway branching off into the last sector of the unfinished area. Night had already fallen and there were no city lights nearby, so it was even harder to see a mere few feet in front of themselves. Here, the gloomy atmosphere was stifling - so thick that Homura could cut it with a knife. An empty can clattered on the asphalt behind her, the clinking sound eerie and resonating.

"Quiet," Homura hissed, even though she wasn't particularly worried about attracting attention at this late hour.

"Sorry," Kyouko muttered.

Shreds of ghost-grey mist crept across the ground, seeming to writhe and coil with delight in a maze of mist. The weightless, yet suffocating darkness seemed as if it had arisen as part of the dark city's breath. Even the air here felt bone-chillingly cold, raising the hair on Homura's body.

Homura jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. _Kyouko_.

"Still thinking about what Mami said about that witch?" Kyouko asked. "Don't worry. Even if things somehow go bad, I already saved the world before. If I did then, I can do it now."

"You saved the world in a _videogame_," Homura pointed out.

Kyouko shrugged. "Yeah, so? I did it in one run without saving or using checkpoints or extra lives. It's basically like real life at that point."

"I'm fine, don't worry." Homura said, gently brushing off Kyouko's hand. "This place just gives me a bad feeling."

Kyouko glanced around. "It doesn't feel any different to me. You're probably just imagining things," she said.

"Usually whenever someone says that, something's always wrong…" Homura trailed off into uncertain silence, but continued walking into the night. As she fumbled her way around in the dark, chilly evening, she vigorously shook her head to clear away the foreboding feeling. And then, everything went wrong.

The first mistake, the one that opened the whole floodgate, was coming across a fork in the alleyway and taking the left path. The right one clearly led back to the main street, but wrapped up in her thoughts, Homura figured that the left side would also double back out.

This was a tactical error. Homura felt it like a jab of intuition, and she paused after a few steps, peering vaguely into the night that had puddled up around her feet.

The second mistake, which was inextricably linked to the first, was checking the building they stumbled upon. Even before the unusually faint 'click' of the door opening echoed in the still night, Homura had begun to notice the security cameras hidden in the corners and the faded red "No Trespassing" sign painted on the wall. Judging by her expression, Kyouko was groping towards the same inevitable realization that Homura was.

Either way, neither of them were fully surprised when they entered and alarms began to blare throughout the building. A single second floated by as Homura stared at Kyouko, who stared back. They froze, rooted to the spot.

Homura glanced back, but like an idiot, she had unwittingly closed the door behind her. Her mind was making connections in the most dragged-out way, knowing that things had suddenly gone wrong, and that they were now in a lot of trouble.

Resigned to the inevitable, Homura gave a deep sigh. She watched as Kyouko bolted for the exit in an epic leap, except her left foot slipped on the tiled floor and she ended up trying to imprint her face into the steel door.

"You open the door with the handle, not your face." Homura blankly said.

"Yeah, I know that, stupid," Kyouko snapped, yanking down the handle as they ran outside.

Escape was the only thing running through Homura's mind as she forced her legs to take her as quickly back down the alleyway as possible. She and Kyouko reached the branching paths and started to head down the right side, but a car swung into the gravel lot at the entrance, blocking their path. The headlights shone at them like accusing fingers, and but they were already running back the way they came.

As Homura ran, she heard the sound of people exiting the cars and the alarms still sounding in the distance. _Keep running_, she willed herself. _Don't think. Just run._

Behind them, the shouts rose in intensity. There were angry and excited voices, and they weren't getting any further away. Homura chanced a look back over her shoulder, already expecting to be confronted by grim-looking policemen with flashlights.

A few seconds later, and Homura's palms were already pressed against the dead-end chain-link fence before she knew what she was doing. She stumbled backwards, thinking back. Why did she make such a careless error? She'd just assumed that the entire area was empty. But even magical girls weren't outside societal laws of trespassing on police property. She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had entered the building without accounting for the possibility of an alarm system.

Meanwhile, Kyouko vaulted over the chain-link fence and delivered a savage kung-fu blow to the rusted padlock on the other side. But it was unimpressed, and the door remained bolted shut.

"Just jump over!" Kyouko shouted, and Homura hesitated. She glanced up, estimating the height of the fence.

"I can't."

Kyouko cursed, jumping back over to Homura's side. Homura scrapped the recesses of her brain for an idea - somewhere to hide in a split-second. Nothing. She couldn't think of anything. The voices were only growing louder. Homura closed her eyes, already envisioning the headlines, the hard faces of the police inquisitors, the gleam of handcuffs around her wrists, clank of bars, the big black shadows rising from the back of the cell… when suddenly, a sharp yell brought her back into the present moment.

"Homura!" Kyouko yanked her arm.

"Hold on." Homura twisted her grasp so that she was the one grabbing Kyouko's wrist. Then, she activated her shield.

The next minute was a blur to her as she dragged Kyouko far, far away from that place. Both of them ran through the darkness like shadows, escaping from the rill of noises in the distance. She didn't know how long she had run until they finally stopped near the main street, just outside of the shopping plaza. Kyouko came to a stop behind her, looking slightly dazed. Neither of them said a word.

After a while, Kyouko finally shrugged. "That was exciting." She said. "Crisis averted."

"I can live without that kind of excitement." Homura muttered.

"Well, it can't get any worse, right?"

Just then, darts of icy rain came spitting down from the unforgiving sky, hissing on their heads. Thunder grumbled low in the distance.

Homura shot Kyouko a pointed look. "You were saying?"

"Great, it couldn't have picked a better time to rain," Kyouko grumbled, pulling up her hood to ward off the drizzle. She glanced at Homura. "Are we gonna report back to Mami?"

Homura nodded. "Yes, but that can wait until tomorrow morning. Right now, I want nothing more than to go home and lament my wasted Saturday."

Kyouko grinned. "You and me both. Plus, I guess I've gotta explain to Sayaka where I've been this whole time."

"I'll contact you later in case anything else comes up."

"Alright. Later."

Homura watched Kyouko jog off as a red speck in the misty distance, before tracing her steps back to her home as well. As she walked, her mind drifted back to the events of today.

Even if a strong witch was to appear next week, it wasn't something she had to face alone. There was a weight on her mind, but it wasn't as oppressive as previous weights had been. Instead, this weight settled comfortably on her shoulders like the straps of a backpack. _Responsibility and worries_, Homura thought, _are__ much less burdensome when shared by those you can trust_.

* * *

><p><strong>(Sunday evening)<strong>

Homura exhaled, a small plume of air dissipating into the soft glow of the park lamppost. She pulled out her phone to check the time - 7:57 p.m. - before pocketing it again. It was far from the first time she had waited for Madoka in this exact same spot, but tonight she had a different reason for feeling nervous.

7:58. Homura put her phone back in her pocket and zipped it up to remove the temptation of checking it a third time. Exhaling again, she squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them. Maybe it was just her overly heightened senses, but the fact that the park was gradually emptying made her feel even more on edge.

When Homura was sure that another minute had passed, she heard the sound of faint, delicate footsteps approaching from behind. Without turning around, she knew that it was Madoka standing right behind her - a presence that had always been so familiar, kind, and comforting to her. Homura took a few deep breaths to work up her courage and closed her eyes, knowing that while she probably looked rather silly doing so, Madoka was doing the exact same.

When Homura opened her eyes, she saw that Madoka had moved in front, silently watching her. Returning her gaze, Homura muttered an embarrassed, "W-What is it?"

"Do you dream a lot?" Madoka asked.

"Dream..?" Homura repeated blankly, slowly shaking her head. "Not often..."

"A-Ah," Madoka lowered her gaze, looking a little embarrassed at her previous question. "Homura-chan just seems like the type that would daydream a lot."

"I do find myself lost in thought often, if that's what you mean," Homura said, her thoughts drifting to the doubts gnawing on her conscious. She didn't plan on telling Madoka about her conversation with Mami and Kyouko, at least not yet.

"Ah, yeah! Maybe that's what I meant. Ehehe..." Madoka smiled sheepishly, and Homura couldn't help a soft look from overtaking her expression either. "You think about a lot of things."

Homura shrugged. "There is a lot to think about in this world. It keeps my mind occupied."

A worried look stole over Madoka's expression. "Hopefully it isn't anything too serious..."

Homura shook her head. "Not really. Shall we go?"

She offered Madoka her hand, which the pinkette shyly accepted, clasping it gently and lacing her own fingers in-between. As they walked through the park, the sunset shimmered in a veil of gold, amber, and royal purple, before gradually being chased away by the starry night sea. Homura secretly loved these evening walks with Madoka. Being with her felt elating, making her feel like she was living in a fantasy.

Their footfalls mingled with the crackling sound of leaves underfoot as they walked out onto the grassy hill that overlooked the city. The misty, frazil-silver moonlight threw the clear-cut shadows of nearby sakura trees into sharp contrast. An evening breeze flittered through the whispering trees, murmuring the voices and secrets of centuries past and present. Spring was in full swing, and the silent sensation of hope and rebirth that the blooming season brought with it was palpable, unbroken by the multitude of soft murmurs that swept over the hill.

At last, Homura and Madoka came to the spot they were looking for. They stopped at the crest of the hill and looked out at the full, unblocked view of Mitakihara's cityscape twinkling like the constellation of stars above.

Homura tilted her head back, taking in the view with hushed reverie. Many memories, both wondrous and painful, with laughter and tears, had been forged in this city. But now, in the grip of night, the city lay peacefully silent. Only the wind carried the echoes of those days and lost timelines.

_But this is worth everything that has happened, _Homura silently amended. _All of those failures were merely precedents to achieve this ending._

Homura stole a glance at Madoka. The pinkette had lifted her gaze, her eyes shimmering like stars of wonder at the starry night sky. Lacquered and enameled by the moonlight, she radiated. "It's so beautiful," Madoka breathed, gazing out towards the skyline of Mitakihara City.

Spellbound by the girl standing next to her, Homura barely managed to avoid staring at Madoka. "I-It is beautiful," she softly agreed, though her thoughts were purely about the pinkette.

Even from the back, Madoka looked like a painting come to life. Made up of contrasting lines with moonlight-kissed skin, perpetually windswept hair, and eyes Homura couldn't quite pinpoint to the color spectrum, she was mesmerizing. When Madoka looked back to see Homura staring, she smiled. "Are you lost in thought again, Homura-chan?"

"N-No, I'm simply admiring the view," Homura hastily said, locking her focus onto the distant horizon. She swallowed down a surge of social anxiety. "I had heard this was a scenic spot, but I never imagined it would be as stunning as this."

"Me neither. We should invite everyone else here sometime," Madoka suggested, her eyes lighting up at the idea.

"Perhaps some other time then." Homura said, her tone coming out more flatly than she had intended. Which, of course, didn't pass underneath Madoka's notice.

"Hehe," Madoka's lips curved up into a playful smile as she coyly tugged Homura's sleeve. "You're not jealous, are you? Of course I'm happier when I'm just with you, Homura-chan. It's more special that way."

"Is that so?" Homura briefly replied, thought it took a monumental effort to keep her pale cheeks from flushing bright red. She looked down at the grass, thankful for the darkness masking her expression.

"Yep!" Madoka let go of Homura and took a few steps backwards. Even in the night, Homura could see her beaming happily. "Don't you feel the same way?" Madoka asked.

"W-Well obviously I do..."

She watched as Madoka took a seat on the crest of the hill, and sat down beside her. Madoka leaned back and sighed, blowing away an errant strand of pink hair. "Lately, it feels like we haven't been able to spend much time with each other."

Homura nodded, her thoughts drifting back to the meeting with Mami and Kyouko yesterday. "Unfortunately, witches have become more frequent. They do provide us with an abundant supply of grief seeds however, which compensates for the magic we use to fight them."

"Not to mention Sayaka-chan hardly uses any grief seeds, because none of you usually let her fight," Madoka pointed out with an amused smile. "-even if she insists she's good enough."

Homura coughed lightly. "A-Ah, well Miki-san's skills aside, Tomoe-san and I want to limit her encounters with witches. Miki-san is quite a... headstrong and volatile fighter."

"Even more than Kyouko-chan?"

Homura tilted her head, thinking about an explanation that would satisfy Madoka. "Kyouko has more experience fighting witches. She understands the flow of battle. Miki-san is less likely to follow predetermined strategies and more likely to blindly charge into the fray headfirst."

The pensive expression on Homura's face made Madoka laugh. "So... basically, you get along better with Kyouko-chan than Sayaka-chan?"

"You can think of it like that..." Homura sighed. "But honestly, I don't understand either of them. The brief times we spend together in battle are more than enough for me."

And sometimes even those moments proved to be a little overbearing. Thankfully Mami was a consistent voice of authority among the girls, so Homura didn't have to worry about forcing Kyouko or Sayaka to listen to her.

"I'm positive you and Sayaka-chan would get along much better if you only talked to each other more," Madoka said, looking at Homura earnestly.

"Ah... I'll keep that in mind." Homura said, sighing when the pleading look in Madoka's eyes had vanished. She didn't dislike the blunette, but if past timelines were any indication, they generally did not get along well. "As long as Tomoe-san continues to train her, I'll trust her."

"That's good then." Madoka smiled, looking somewhat content.

Homura nodded. The silence of the moment was swept away by the whispering breeze, and they sat in companionable silence for the following minute. Homura leaned backwards against the grassy hill. Time always seemed to melt away whenever they were together. If she didn't act now, she didn't know if she'd be able to work up the courage to confess in the future. "Madoka-" Homura began.

"I'm sorry." Madoka suddenly said, the smile falling from her lips in an instant. The carefree aura vaporized into thin air, as if it had never been there all along.

Homura glanced at her in mild surprise. Madoka still had her eyes towards the sky, so Homura followed her gaze. "What for?"

"I always end up causing trouble for you," Madoka mumbled. "Like when you had to save me from that familiar a few days ago-"

Homura reached towards Madoka. "Ah, no, it's fine-"

"But it's _not _fine!" Madoka said, jerking away from Homura's hand with an unidentifiable expression. There was panic edging her voice. Frustration. _Fear_. "It's not fine for me. And it's not just last Friday either - it's all the times you've had to risk your life for me from the witches. I don't want to put you in so much danger, but I can't do anything about it because I'm weak. I really am causing you so much trouble..."

As Madoka trailed off, Homura watched her taut shoulders quivering in the dim light. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, and then tentatively approached Madoka from behind again.

"Do you trust me?" Homura softly asked, laying a hand on Madoka's shoulder.

"Of course I do! But-" Madoka dropped her voice, which prompted Homura to draw even closer. Sensing the ravenette approaching, Madoka tried to scoot away, but it was too late.

"I'll always come and save you, Madoka." Homura whispered into Madoka's ear, brushing aside locks of pink hair to caress her cheek. "No matter how many times it takes, I'll always be there for you. Nothing can stand in my way. Not even cruel fate."

Faint traces of heat rose to the tips of Madoka's ears. As if realizing that she couldn't face away forever, Madoka turned around to look at Homura with her wide, innocent, entrancing pink eyes. Mesmerized by her face, Homura wordlessly stared back.

"You do so much for me, and I'm so happy," Madoka softly explained. "You go through so much for me, and I couldn't possibly repay you. I couldn't possibly understand all of the the things you've seen and felt. I just want to do _something_ for you..."

"Something?" Homura echoed, and Madoka nodded. "Then... can you stay by my side forever?" Homura asked.

Madoka looked away, idly reaching up to play with her bangs. "A-Ah, if that's what you want..."

"I do." Homura softly said.

"Then... I'd love to." Madoka's face glowed with affection as finally, a smile played upon her lips. When Homura nodded, she giggled. To Homura, it was the song woven from lilting lullabies.

The serenity of the situation put Homura's heart at ease, though there was a strange feeling nagging at the back of her mind. Especially now, sitting only an arms-length away from the girl of her dreams, this all felt too good to be true. It had been her lifelong dream to be by Madoka's side, yet that same ephemeral quality made this moment seem so transient, like it might soon fade away...

But as Homura continued to watch Madoka, she began to realize how utterly happy she was. Her ineffable love for this girl had pushed her to do so many things. And it was _all _worth it, just for these moments.

"Madoka, are you free on Monday?" Homra blurted out before she could stop herself.

Madoka slowly nodded. "Yes… why?"

Homura swallowed, knowing what she wanted to ask, but finding the words themselves difficult to say. "Um, do you-" she started in an uncharacteristically small voice. She paused, mentally kicking herself, before shamelessly continuing. "Would you like to spend the day together?"

To Homura's surprise, it was Madoka who blushed first. "U-Um, yes! I would love to," she said.

"A-Ah, um, so would I," Homura stuttered, slightly taken aback by the quick, positive reply after hours of careful planning how to set the mood and craft the question.

"O-Oh, that's nice…"

"Y-Yeah…"

Madoka fidgeted in place, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her cheeks seemed to grow even redder in the night. "H-Hey, Homura-chan... I have something I want to say to you."

Homura froze at Madoka's unsteady voice, her heart rate rapidly picking up speed. "W-What is it?"

"A-Ah, but it's embarrassing to say..." Madoka murmured. Homura watched, rooted to the spot, as she rose to her feet. "And I don't want to say something that might make you hate me."

Temporarily dispelling her nervousness, Homura stood up with Madoka to face her. "I would never hate you, Madoka." She firmly stated. "You can tell me."

Rendered wordless by Homura's boldness, Madoka glanced away, about to sit back down, before working up the courage to continue. "Before, I would never even dreamed about a situation like this. Ever since we first met, there was something about you that always captivated me. I've always wondered what that new feeling was. But now I understand..."

Madoka took a deep breath and smiled. "I love you, Homura-chan," she whispered.

The words were gentle, blown across Homura's cheeks like a summer breeze. In the clear night, Madoka's eyes shimmered like stardust.

Homura was stunned into silence, her mouth opening and closing as she searched for the right words. She was supposed to be the one to confess, but Madoka had beat her to it. Never had she imagined in her wildest dreams that her feelings were reciprocated.

When Homura said nothing, Madoka glanced away, an awkward frown spreading across her flushed cheeks. "Say something..." Madoka mumbled. "Jeez..."

"I-I love you too!" Homura exclaimed, the automatic words spilling out of her lips like water. And while it was far from the first time she had said it in her dreams, it still made something flutter violently in her chest. "I've always loved you, Madoka! It's just... back then, I couldn't convey my feelings to you because of everything else..."

They stared at each other, silent for the better part of a minute. Homura's eyes traced the lines on Madoka's face, the dips and soft curves of her body, and she knew that Madoka was doing the exact same to her. She felt the heaviness of Madoka's gaze everywhere over her body, down to the magnetism of the atoms and the way they hummed against her skin, whispering for her to move closer and _nearer_.

And before Homura could close her eyes, there were soft lips brushing against her own, and something small _melting_ against her tongue, and it felt _amazing_. Frozen by the sudden kiss, she didn't move until Madoka closed the space between them, sighing against her lips and clasping her hands behind Homura's back.

As their lips met, Homura felt Madoka playfully swaying her hips back and forth - slowly, just enough so that she could play along and relax her weight off of her feet, lacing her fingers between the folds of Madoka's shirt and tugging her close. The motion gave her warmth - a kind of dreamy wakefulness she could never have imagined existed.

It was all effortless, the soft lights and quiet sounds of of the scenery fading to nothingness around them, because in Homura's entire lifetime, she had never experienced a feeling like _this_. There hadn't been any dramatically unrequited feelings to force it, nor lust to intensify it to the point of sensory overdrive. Instead, the innocent yearning of their first kiss together made Homura's thoughts melt and left her gently pressed against the lips of the girl before her, who held her close and kissed her back.

The two stayed like that for a seemingly insurmountable amount of time until they finally drew away for air. Homura's lips were still parted in mild surprise, her eyes wide and blinking rapidly.

Madoka bit back a coy smile while a blush that would've melted snow lit up her cheeks. "Ehehe, I got you," she whispered.

"Are you sure you didn't fall into _my_ trap?" Homura replied with a single wink, then tugged Madoka's head against her shoulder and caressed her cheek with a gentle puff of warm air.

In her bliss, she vaguely registered the sensation of Madoka's fingers gently interlacing with her own and her shoulder leaning against her frame. Homura snuggled back into the warmth and skin as smooth as velvet presented to her, relishing the feeling of Madoka's hair brushing against her cheeks and occasionally coming across to brush at her nose or lips.

In their trance, neither of them registered the action of sitting back down until Homura felt her back pressed against the grass. Getting onto all fours, Madoka giggled and crawled over to Homura, who relaxed and let her gently crawl over her until their faces were mere inches away. Madoka's fingers trailed up to Homura's hair, lapping at the edges like the ocean on the fringes of a beach. All Homura could do was lay back and let the moment wash over her like a tide.

Minutes that felt like centuries passed as she faded off into content nothingness, feeling the moment fading away into a memory.

* * *

><p>Homura remained sitting long after Madoka had parted with the promise of meeting tomorrow. She leaned back, letting her midnight-black hair sweep over her shoulders, and gazed far off into the distance.<p>

Like a ghostly-silver disc, the moon shone down upon Homura, bathing her in its owl light. Strands of thin light that seemed to fall from the heavens fell upon her upturned face, tickling her cheeks with its soft ethereal beauty. In contrast to the wall of dark clouds slowly building in the distance, here amidst the cascading frazil-silver crystals of moonlight, she felt at peace.

Sitting alone on this hill made Homura feel like she was silently watching over the city like a guardian of the night. From here, she could look out over the twinkling cityscape, her gaze searching skywards towards the skyscrapers built to touch the clouds. In the horizon where the land and sky melted together was the shadowy sweep of mountains. The sky above was an expanse of deep navy, purple, and most of all, black.

Homura's thoughts briefly turned to all the timelines torn asunder by cruel fate, and she sighed. It had been a long journey, but she had finally arrived at the end. In her mind's eye, Madoka was always there. This happy ending was never in doubt.

Homura lifted her head skywards and smiled, the chilly night breeze fluttering against her cheeks like fireflies.

"No matter whatever happens tomorrow," she whispered. "-we had today, and I'll always remember it, _Madoka_."


	3. Chapter 3: Symptoms

**Heartache**

Chapter 3 - Symptoms

* * *

><p><em>Each player must accept the cards life deals her. But once they are in hand, she alone must decide how to play them in order to win the game.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>(Monday)<strong>

Homura showed up at the designated spot an hour early, just to be safe.

There was no way she was going to make Madoka wait for her. Besides, she needed some extra time to mentally prepare herself for what lay ahead today. And maybe to set some goals. Like going to see a movie together. Having their fingers accidentally brush while sharing popcorn. Holding hands afterwards. And then...

Homura abruptly cleared her throat, trying to stem those thoughts. It wasn't like she didn't like fantasizing about those things, but she had to focus right now. She glanced around at the open plaza, which was almost empty aside from her. Today was a school holiday for the entire city, so the usual morning rush of students was nowhere to be seen. She'd have slept in too, if not for this date.

Homura looked up at the clock post in the middle of the shopping center. 10:10 am. Hadn't it just been 10:00 am a minute ago? Time was flying by. Just fifty minutes left. She looked down at her clothes, idly smoothing out the fringes of her lavender skirt and white blouse, wondering if it was too casual for this date. She had spent too long debating about her outfit last night, rummaging through her sparse closet before eventually deciding that something semi-casual would be the best (and pretty much her only) option.

It was a date. It _was _a date, wasn't it? Homura breathed out as the memories of the previous night came flooding back in full color. She hadn't explicitly asked Madoka out on a date, come to think of it. _Would you like to spend the day together, _had been her exact words. But that implied a date. That _was _a date, wasn't it? She even confessed to Madoka afterwards, so it had to be a date by now. Under the romantic moonlight glow, she had told Madoka she loved her, taken her in her arms, and kissed-

Homura nearly tripped over her own feet, realizing that she'd inadvertently closed her eyes to recall the memories of that fated night. She caught her balance at the last second and looked around to see if her commotion had attracted any attention. Thankfully, no one was sending odd glances in her direction. Homura straightened up again and resumed her post of diligently waiting.

It was hard to believe that last night had even happened. Never, even in her wildest fantasies, did she think that this outcome would ever happen. After waking up this morning, she'd spent a few minutes to convincing herself that it wasn't a dream. Fidgeting in place, Homura glanced at the clock again. 10:20 am. Only forty minutes to go.

She was calm.

Not anxious.

Everything was just fine.

For the next ten minutes, Homura paced around in front of the plaza until she thought she was going to lose her mind from anticipation. Four times she whirled around, heart leaping in her chest, when she thought she heard Madoka's voice, but it turned out to be some other passbyer. Two of those times she'd actually uttered a greeting back, but luckily she'd swallowed the last half of the word before they had heard her. Homura sighed, ruefully lamenting the fact that while she could stop or go back in time, she couldn't speed it up.

Homura then decided to walk to the coffee shop down the road to kill some time. It wasn't that far away. Plus, she didn't want to seem too overeager for her date with Madoka. She had spent countless times with Madoka before, after all. It wasn't like this was something new. She shouldn't feel anxious.

She was cool.

Totally fine.

Not nervous at all.

Homura turned back twice on her walk to the coffee shop, first deciding that bringing coffee on their date might not be a good idea, because how else was she going to hold Madoka's hand when the opportunity arose? Then she later decided that that was never going to happen anyways, if she kept being so indecisive like right now.

When Homura finally arrived, she tugged on the door a few times before realizing that she was supposed to push instead of pull. After pushing the door open, she walked inside, only to realize that she'd accidentally stumbled into the nearby fast food restaurant. Blinking rapidly and trying to process what had happened, she quickly darted back outside and to the next door coffee shop. After making sure that this was the correct place, Homura pushed on the door a few times, before realizing that she was supposed to pull instead of push.

After finally getting in line, she anxiously fidgeted in place, trying to decide if she should get the creamy drink she liked the best, or a more mature and adult-like beverage to impress Madoka. But the latter was much more expensive, even if the former had more calories. And what if she spilled her drink on her clothes during their date? Or what if she spilled it on Madoka?

As Homura neared the counter, she squinted at the menu above. She stared at it for a minute before realizing that she didn't understand a single part of what it meant. Where was the "coffee" section? Why weren't there any sections at all, for that matter? Why were all of the menu items jumbled up right next to each other like an essay? Why did half of the names have the word "organic" before it? Was organic coffee even possible? Did it taste good? And how come the word _coffee _or _drink _was nowhere to be seen? Why did none of the menu items even remotely sound like a beverage? What was a "Milky Licky Blue Cow?" Was a "Milky Licky Blue Cow" even edible? Why weren't the prices right next to the menu items - or anywhere at all? And why weren't there any pictures?

When Homura was finally next in line, she glanced at her watch and realized that she only had two minutes to spare. She ran out of the coffee shop empty-handed, turning left before she remembered that the plaza was in the other direction. Homura arrived back at the spot in front of the shopping center right before Madoka arrived, only slightly out of breath.

She was totally cool.

Nothing to worry about.

Everything was A-ok.

"I'm here!" Madoka waved as she walked up to Homura. "Sorry, did you wait long?"

Homura perked her head up at the sound of Madoka's voice, and she shook her head. "I only just arrived too," she replied, hoping her face didn't look too flushed from running around all over the place. She paused to catch her breath, until she noticed the outfit Madoka was wearing.

It was a summer dress, blue like the clear sky, that fit over the Madoka's slender frame, accentuating her soft, childish curves. She was wearing a small straw hat to shield her face from the sun, which tilted sideways at an innocently coy angle. Her dress barely reached halfway down her thighs, revealing most of her slender legs. Homura had to force her gaze back upright before it kept dipping downwards.

Madoka bashfully smiled, squirming slightly when Homura didn't say anything else. "D-Don't stare so much, Homura-chan…" she muttered, but her eyes shone with happiness. "D-Do you like it?"

Homura could only nod. "Y-You look really good," she breathed.

Madoka's cheeks reddened. "Y-You look really good too," she mumbled, eyeing Homura's outfit.

When a stray warm breeze sent Madoka's dress fluttering up an inch, Homura snapped her gaze away and pinched her nose, feeling lightheaded all of sudden. Madoka's outfit was dangerous for her health, but oh did it look so wonderful.

Madoka squirmed again. "U-Um, Homura-chan?" she asked. "S-Should we go now?"

Homura blinked, and pinched her arm to rouse herself out of her trance. "Ah, s-sorry," she mumbled, trying to focus on the matter at hand and not how much she wanted to leap forward and wrap Madoka in a tight hug. Luckily for her, Madoka couldn't read her mind.

Madoka giggled. "Lost in thought again?"

"In a way..." Homura mused, intentionally trying to sound cryptic to pull attention away from her staring. When Madoka tilted her head in confusion, she smiled reassuringly. "Where do you want to go first?"

It was a ploy, really. Of course she was willing to go wherever Madoka wanted. But she had done quite a bit of research last night, looking up popular things to do in the city on online blogs. And if her predictions were right, based on what she knew about Madoka's preferences...

"Hmm, how about a movie?" Madoka quickly suggested, beaming at the idea. "A really good one just came out last week! Everyone at school was talking about it."

Homura smiled. _Bingo_. "I thought you might say that," she said as reached into her pocket and triumphantly pulled out two movie tickets. "So I already took care of our reservations."

Madoka's face lit up with admiration. "Ah, you're always so prepared!"

Fighting down the surge of self-satisfaction, Homura tapped a finger against her chin. "Hmm, rather, you're quite predictable Madoka."

"Ehh, really? Anyone would want to see the new movie. It isn't just me..."

"Well, I suppose," Homura said, glad that her predictions had been spot-on regardless.

They walked down the streets of downtown Mitakihara City. The sun shone bright, and there were a few wisps of clouds strewn across the baby-blue sky. It was a picturesque late-spring day in the city, where the temperature wasn't hot enough yet to melt the clothes off one's back. The air felt mild on Homura's skin, free of the usual humidity that bothered her to no end. A slight breeze picked up the ends of her hair, sweeping aside her bangs.

As Homura glanced at the innocent and cheerful girl walking beside her, she couldn't help but feel her emotions swirl around in the pit of her stomach like a blender. Limitless bliss and anxiety coiled around her heart like chains.

She was on a date with Madoka. Right _now_. They were walking mere inches apart from each other. Were they supposed to hold hands?

Homura stole a glance at Madoka's open hand swaying by her side. It was right there. It'd be so easy to just casually grab it without a second thought. The opportunity to take the lead on Madoka was right there. It wasn't like Madoka would dislike it, right? They'd both just confessed to each other last night. Wasn't holding hands the next step for lovers? She'd delved into a vast array of online blogs about dating advice, and all of them said that holding hands was a _must. _In that case...

Homura gulped, feeling her mouth go dry. Summoning the courage, she let her hand drift closer and closer to Madoka's soft hand, moving, reaching, stretching. Three inches. Two inches. One inch-

"Here it is!"

Homura jerked her hand back and whipped her gaze up. They were standing in front of the movie theater. Madoka pointed up at the sign and looked at Homura expectantly.

"O-Oh, right." Homura blinked, trying to clear her thoughts, and ruefully shoved her hands back in her pockets. She walked up to the counter and presented her tickets. Madoka was right behind her as they went over to the concession counter.

"Do you want anything?" Homura asked. "I'll pay."

"Y-You don't have to pay, Homura-chan," Madoka hurriedly said. "I can pay for myself!"

Homura shrugged. "It's fine, I don't mind."

_Besides,_ she thought with a touch of annoyance, _thanks to Kyouko, I'm used to it anyways._

"A-Ah, um, then if you insist…" Madoka glanced up at the choices. "We should get popcorn then. That's usually what people get here, right?"

Homura turned to the concession employee. "I'd like to order two-"

"We'll have one large popcorn, please," Madoka said before Homura could finish her order. When Homura stared at her, dumbfounded, Madoka winked. "It's cheaper to share, isn't it?"

"W-Well, yes, but…" Homura trailed off as Madoka grabbed the popcorn and walked down the hallway to the movie theater.

_That meant their fingers would inevitably touch, didn't it?_

As they walked into the movie theater, Homura squinted in the darkness. A few other movie-goers were scattered around, but it was mostly empty. She and Madoka chose a row near the back, settling into their seats.

As the lights dimmed further, throwing the theater into near pitch-black, Homura felt the slow rush of blood rising to the surface of her skin. In the darkness, with hardly anyone else around, she was sitting so close next to Madoka. She could feel the thrumming of her own heart beating so loud, almost drowning out the sound of the movie starting. Homura took a deep breath.

_Calm down_, she told herself. _You can do this._

Wondering if she should place the popcorn on her own lap or Madoka's, she eventually settled upon placing it on the armrest between them. Homura stole a look at Madoka, but Madoka's eyes were already glued to the screen. Homura sighed, knowing that she was probably just getting worked up over nothing. She locked her attention back onto the big screen and began to watch.

The first ten minutes of the movie began uneventfully. Feeling herself slowly being drawn into the story, Homura absently reached over to grab a handful of popcorn when her fingers brushed against something.

"A-Ah- s-sorry-"

It felt hard. Homura glanced over and realized that she was touching the rim of the popcorn bucket. Mentally kicking herself, she tried to refocus back on the movie.

When Homura reached over to grab another handful of popcorn, she felt the rim blocking her way again. Annoyed, she grabbed it to readjust the bucket when it moved. Startled, she glanced at her hand and realized she was holding onto Madoka's fingers.

"S-Sorry-" Madoka whispered. Even in the darkness, Homura could see the faint blush coloring her cheeks. She felt her fingers growing hotter by the second with the contact.

"N-No, I'm sorry-" Homura said, moving her hand away and mentally kicking herself for her stupidity. The same rush of excitement from earlier laced through her blood, making her feel extremely self-conscious in the dimness.

An innocent Madoka didn't notice, but Homura was very much aware of the lack of distance between herself and the pinkette. She leaned back in her seat, trying to concentrate on the movie and not how much she wanted to lean over and kiss Madoka in the dark.

By the time the movie was done, she could barely walk straight. Her mind swirled as she tried not to think about how many times their fingertips had touched or the smell of Madoka's hair up close.

"Ahh, that was a really good movie, wasn't it?" Madoka said as she stretched her arms over her head.

Homura winced at the bright sunlight as they exited the movie theater. Still feeling weak, she took a seat on a bench outside.

"Where else should we go?" Madoka asked as she gently took a seat next to Homura, offering her a bottle of water.

Homura gratefully accepted the cool drink, clearing her mind with a few sips. "Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm with you," she said.

"E-Eh? That's so vague..." Madoka mumbled. She glanced up at the sky, reaching out a hand to shade her face from the sunlight. "I wish we could spend everyday like this," she wistfully said.

Homura gave her a questioning gaze. "What about studying?" she asked. "If I remember correctly, there is a math test next week-"

"Jeez, you didn't have to remind me," Madoka interrupted, frowning. "I was trying to forget about that with today."

Homura tilted her head. "Will you be fine for it?"

"I will!"

"Should I help you study again?"

"Y-You don't have to keep helping me so much. I think know how to do it now…"

"You _think_?" Homura echoed, giving a small smile at Madoka's seriousness. "Don't end up failing the next test..."

"I won't! Don't jinx me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Madoka gave her a wide-eyed look brimming with optimism. "Really?"

Homura averted her gaze. "Well..."

"Jeez," Madoka puffed out her cheeks and turned away, folding her arms. "You're just making fun of me, aren't you? Fine, I'll do well on my own anyways!"

"Ah, I'm sorry," Homura said, trying to stifle a laugh. "It's just kind of easy to tease you sometimes."

Madoka kept her back turned, so Homura leaned closer and gently tapped Madoka on the cheek. "Madoka?" she asked.

Startled, Madoka jerked away, clasping both hands to the spot she'd been touched. "A-Ah! W-Why did you just poke me?"

"You looked like you were spacing out," Homura said. "I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention."

"I _was_ paying attention," Madoka insisted. "Y-You surprised me…"

"I did?"

"W-Well, you don't normally touch me… or at all. I-I'd kind of like you to touch me more…"

Whatever carefully planned words Homura had died upon her lips. So instead she coughed and held a hand to her face to cover her cheeks. When she didn't say anything, Madoka glanced at her. "W-Why are you blushing too, Homura-chan?"

"I-I'm not blushing!" Homura insisted when she found her voice again. She quickly rose to her feet, trying not to look flustered. "A-Anyways, the bus is right there, so let's get on."

"O-Okay…"

* * *

><p>Homura brought Madoka to a small coffee shop by the main street. She personally liked this café due to its trendy street-corner location and pretty flower decorations. It was a quaint place, and the quiet afternoon atmosphere was pleasant to be around. Outside on the veranda, one could see the grassy bank and sapphire-blue river. She had fond memories of coming here after school alone, unperturbed in her own thoughts.<p>

It was here that Homura could sit and lean against the balcony edge, gazing out in reverie. It was barely in the late afternoon, but the sky's blue shade was already beginning to darken. Roses and honeysuckles swayed in the gentle breeze, weaving a mosaic of amber light in the meadow. Homura watched the clouds roll across the sky. They shifted and morphed, giving hints of form before dissolving into shapelessness.

_Like memories, _she thought, reflecting upon the evanescent quality of the moments she now sought to cherish. _Like time. This, too, shall pass._

A carnival of scents wafting from inside the cafe brought Homura back into the present - the faint aromas lingering in the air long after the waitress had come by. As they ordered their coffee and cake, Homura turned her attention back to the girl sitting across from her. The memory of last night still remained fresh in her mind. Madoka had said she loved her too.

Homura frowned. But what had she done to have her own love reciprocated? Certainly it wasn't just defeating Walpurgisnacht. Did that mean Madoka had loved her since the beginning, like she had too? Then, had she been too blind to notice in her previous timelines? Or was it something that had eventually grown along the way?

The curious part of Homura pined to know more about it, but there was something else she had been thinking about for a while. The witch Mami was talking about... it was this Friday, wasn't it? It was just another witch, albeit strong. But it wasn't as powerful as Walpurgisnacht. And yet, why did it bother her so much? It was almost as if-

"Homura-chan-?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Homura glanced up to see Madoka waving a hand in front of her face. When she was sure that she had gotten Homura's attention, Madoka leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Are you sure nothing is on your mind?" Madoka quietly asked. The slightest ripple in her expression suggested that she was more concerned than she let show. "You've been acting kind of strange ever since we saw that movie..."

"N-No, I'm fine," Homura said, shaking away her thoughts with a touch of guilt. But as soon as she uttered the words, she immediately regretted it. She glanced at Madoka, debating whether Mami's news was something she should share with her. She'd eventually learn about it anyways, right? Besides, after Madoka had said how much she worried about her, wasn't it her responsibility to share what was going on?

The glade-green field seemed to sway in the soft breeze, whispering words to Homura she couldn't hear. She looked down at her plate, realizing that she hadn't even taken a bite of her cake yet.

"This Friday, there will be a strong witch," Homura calmly said, trying to sound like she was stating the weather forecast and not bad news. She glanced at Madoka, seeing how she would take the sudden news.

But to her credit, Madoka's expression remained calm. "Oh..." she paused to digest the information. "I guess it's good that you know about this in advance. Everyone has more time to prepare, right?"

Homura quickly nodded. "O-Of course. We've already begun preparing since this past weekend. I just wanted to let you know about this..."

"Oh. Thank you." Madoka said, adding a small smile when she tacked on the 'thank you'. "Just... stay safe, okay?"

"I will." Homura said, acknowledging Madoka's concern with a brief smile, which worked well enough to reassure her.

"You know," Madoka hesitantly began. "I have something I wanted to say to you too."

"I'm listening," Homura said, which prompted Madoka to continue.

"I..." Madoka trailed off, her gaze wandering elsewhere as her cheeks flushed red. "I just wanted to say that I was really looking forward to going out with you today, Homura-chan."

Homura paused as she looked at the pinkette. Was it just her, or did she seem a little... anxious? No, that wasn't it. Fragile? "I was looking forward to going into the city with you as well," Homura said, smiling.

Returning the smile, Madoka continued, "But as long as it's with Homura-chan, anywhere is fine. Just being by your side makes me happy. …or something like that." she added, her voice dropping to a mere murmur. "T-That was kind of embarrassing to say…"

"I-I feel the same way, you know," Homura pointed out, trying her best to fight the blush threatening to overcome her own cheeks. "I'm just happy being by your side too, Madoka..."

Madoka nodded and looked at her. Her expression had mellowed considerably, and her tone was just as soft. "I-It's just, last night has been on my mind for a while now... I-I just wanted to make sure that you didn't regret anything-"

"I don't." Homura quietly said, cutting Madoka off. "I really mean it. I love you, Madoka," she whispered, as if any louder would be enough to shatter the fragile girl in front of her. "I always want to be by your side."

"I thought you would say that, knowing you..." Madoka dropped her gaze downwards, but her lips curved up in a smile. "I really meant it when I said that I love you too. I was just thinking about what we were supposed to do now..."

Homura felt her cheeks flush bright red. What they were supposed to do now? Was Madoka talking about their future? Surprisingly, it wasn't something she had given much consideration, mostly wrapped up with fighting Walpurgisnacht and the other witches as of late...

Were they girlfriends? Was this the part where she was supposed to pay Madoka's parents a visit to ask for their permission? Should she start looking for a place to live together and begin making a list of furniture and decorations to buy? Homura glanced at the grassy bank beside the river. She'd love to buy a house for the two of them in some nice, secluded area where they could raise a family...

"What to do now... huh?" Homura mused as she raised her gaze skywards. "Isn't it enough for me to say that I want to be with you forever?"

Madoka giggled, and Homura smiled, knowing that she'd regained some of her usual cheeriness. "That makes me really happy, but isn't it pretty vague?" Madoka asked.

"Vague?" Homura echoed. "It seems pretty clear to me..."

"Well for instance, what do you want to do in the future? To me, Homura-chan seems like she's the type that could get into a prestigious university."

Homura wrinkled her brows. "I'm not _too _sure about that..."

"I'm sure you could do it," Madoka said, her expression brimming with total confidence. "You have the top grades in our school this semester! All that's left is for some university to see how smart you are."

"It would definitely be a nice option," Homura agreed, thinking about all the courses that would be available to her. Mitakihara was a big city, and there _were _a few prestigious universities in the area. It would be fairly simple for her to apply to and attend one of them. But would she do it given the opportunity?

Homura bit her lip. She didn't know. She hadn't really thought that far ahead.

"So if you were to be accepted into a university, what would you do if I decided to look for a job after high school?" Madoka asked.

"I'd follow you." Homura said with no hesitation, and Madoka sighed.

"You should really put more thought into your _own _future, you know..."

"But you _are _my future," Homura coyly protested, which had Madoka blushing again.

"Really, you're hopeless, Homura-chan..."

"You can look after me then," Homura calmly suggested. "Everything is always better when you're around."

"I want to be around you all the time too," Madoka mumbled. She sighed, her tone growing heavy. "It's just too bad that there's been a lot of witches recently..."

"Then," Homura began, feeling a murmur of hope in her chest. "After I defeat the witch this Friday with everyone else, we can spend as much time together as you want."

"We can also start thinking about our future," Madoka added, winking. "Miss-soon-to-be-university-student!"

"Like I said before, I'm not sure I'm qualified enough-"

"But you really are smart, Homura-chan!" Madoka said. She glanced at Homura with a semi-hurt look. "...can't I say these things about the girl I love?"

Homura just blushed at the complement, turning away to avoid her gaze and not for the first time mentally cursing her inability to control the color of her cheeks. "I-I really think you give me too much credit," she mumbled. "But thank you…"

"You're welcome." Madoka whispered, reaching across the table and lacing Homura's fingers in her own, holding her hand close to her chest. "You mean so much to me, Homura-chan."

Homura didn't have to turn to hear the smile in Madoka's words. But just listening to her quiet giggle had the tips of her ears turning bright red. Feeling Madoka's soft heartbeat thrum against her hand was beginning to make her own heart beat faster. Try as she might, it didn't take long for her to give in and focus her attention back on Madoka.

"Y-You mean so much to me too, Madoka." Homura said. Staring at those wondrously shining pink eyes, slightly flushed cheeks, and endearing smile captivated her, rendering her speechless for a brief moment.

"Can… I?" Madoka whispered, shyly peeking at Homura with wide puppy eyes.

Homura blushed even deeper. "I-I'm not sure if it's a good idea. W-We're in public. Someone might see us…"

Madoka smiled. "I don't mind."

And before she knew it, they were only a few inches apart – close enough to feel Madoka's breath fanning across her cheek. And then, the distance was gone.

If Homura could listen carefully enough, she would be able to hear the sounds of Mitakihara City all around her like a faint melody of playful chatter and soft music. If she had kept her eyes open, she would be able to gaze at the city, observing the warm lights of the quaint, cozy cafes and crowds moving like an ocean across the busy streets. From here, she would have been able to see the sunset - the horizon lined with a magical shade of lush gold, fiery red, and deep purple, setting the clouds ablaze with color like gemstones.

"I love you Homura-chan-" Madoka said as they drew away, her voice thick with emotion. Behind her, distant city lights blinked like beacons to lost souls. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, she radiated. "I love you. I promise I won't die first. That way, I can stay with you until the very end."

"I love you too, Madoka." Homura smiled at her. "I promise I won't die first either. Let's stay together forever."

* * *

><p><em>But won't one of us be lying?<em>

* * *

><p>"Eat your ice-cream, Homura-chan! It's melting!"<p>

Homura did her best to look as calm as possible while taking a frantic lick of the cold treat. After movie theater popcorn, coffee, and cake, the last thing she had wanted was more food. But when they'd passed an ice-cream truck in the park, Madoka had insisted.

"Happy?" Homura asked, swallowing, and Madoka beamed.

"Yep," she answered, taking a bite out of her own cone. Homura sighed when strawberry ice-cream dripped down the pinkette's chin and onto her shirt, wiping it off with a spare napkin as Madoka squirmed.

As they walked, Homura had to admit that it had been an amazing day, if exhausting. Talking while walking home after school was one thing, but spending the entire day outdoors required more stamina than she had initially assumed.

Still, she couldn't pretend that she wasn't absolutely enjoying herself during all of the spots they had visited today. The kiss at the cafe was just icing on the cake. Homura briefly brought her fingers up to her face and gently pressed them against her lips. She could still feel the warmth and _overwhelming _softness melting against her tongue...

"Can I ask you something?" Madoka suddenly asked, looking surprisingly serious for a middle-school student with a strawberry ice-cream mustache.

"Mm," Homura glanced at her. "What is it?"

"Mami-san, Kyouko-chan, and Sayaka-chan…" Madoka trailed off, sounding more hesitant than Homura had ever heard her before. "They'll… They'll be alright, won't they? I mean, of course they're magical girls and everything, but- I mean, if something happens, they'll be able to handle it, right?"

Homura couldn't help but soften. "Yes, they can handle it." she said, nudging their shoulders comfortingly as they walked. "Tomoe-san and Kyouko are two of the strongest magical girls I've ever known. While I can't speak for Miki-san, there's no need to worry."

"Okay," Madoka said, nodding even if her expression was still tinged with doubt. "I mean- I just sometimes wish that I could be there to help. It's just scary when I think about something bad happening to any of you at any time…"

She trailed off into uncertain silence. Homura gently grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Nothing will happen to any of us." Homura said, and while she wasn't normally one for making promises she couldn't guarantee, suddenly all she wanted was for Madoka to go back to smiling optimistically. "You can trust me, right?"

"I guess," Madoka smiled, giggling affectionately when Homura gave her a hurt look.

Homura cleared her throat, trying to ignore the obvious teasing. "Anyways, the point is, if it's us four, we stand a very good chance at beating this witch. Unless it's even stronger than… than _Walpurgisnacht_, we'll be fine."

Madoka let out a long exhale, then smiled again at Homura. "I guess I should consider myself lucky to have all of you around me. Especially _you_, Homura-chan." she cheerfully added, skipping in front as Homura struggled to fight a blush.

As the sun dipped beneath the amber horizon, Madoka tried to convince Homura to see one more movie with her, but Homura shook her head. "You shouldn't be wandering around late at night," Homura warned. "Especially in lieu of the upcoming witch."

"Sometimes you're no fun, Homura-chan," Madoka weakly protested, but accepted her fate anyways - if for nothing else but to ease Homura's mind.

"No, I'm the _most _fun," Homura said as they walked back in the direction of Madoka's house. "See, this is fun. Walking quietly without having to worry about witches. _Fun_."

Madoka rolled her eyes, but a playful smile betrayed her otherwise pouting expression. "Would you like to come over to my house Friday after school?" she asked as they stopped at the intersection before parting ways. "You know… just to be together before the battle."

Going over to her house? Homura almost stopped dead in her tracks. Was she really ready for something like that? She gulped, but nodded anyways. "I suppose I wouldn't mind..."

_If it's to be with you,_ she inwardly thought.

"Great!" Madoka beamed, turning around and waving as she left. "I'll see you tomorrow at school then!"

Homura smiled and waved after Madoka's fleeting figure in the twilight. _It's the little things that matter the most_, she decided as she turned around to return home. Taking advantage of the moment, she quickly reached her thoughts out to Mami.

_Good evening, Akemi-san. What's the matter?_ Mami's voice said in Homura's mind.

_Do you have a more accurate estimate for the witch's arrival?_

Homura could almost feel Mami frown thoughtfully. _It'll probably be late Friday night, sometime past 8 p.m. Luckily, we'll be able to sleep in after the battle. Should I prepare something for all of us for breakfast the morning after?_

_That sounds good_, Homura said, smiling slightly when she could almost see the gourmet food._ Thank you_, she added after a second thought.

_No problem. Just stay safe for now, okay?_

_I'll do that._

Mami paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, Homura could hear the smile in her voice. _I wouldn't want my time manipulator to have any problems before the fight._

_Duly noted. I'll talk to you later then._

Even when Madoka was just a dot on the horizon behind her, the smile didn't leave Homura's face, not even when she got back to her own house. It remained fastened on there by a stupid amount of appreciation for what she had, and what she might have. And that good mood followed her into her dreams.

* * *

><p><em>The darkness that surrounds us cannot hurt us.<em>

_Instead, it is the darkness that dwells within our hearts that we should fear._

* * *

><p><strong>(Tuesday)<strong>

It began the next day after school.

"Akemi-san?"

The voice was so faint, Homura almost thought that she'd imagined it. But it was unmistakably Mami's voice that had echoed in her mind. Homura focused her attention, trying to listen.

Nothing.

"Tomoe-san?" Homura telepathically projected, but there was nothing but dead silence on the other end. A tingle ran down her spine, and she knew that it wasn't just the early evening chill. Her gaze absently flittered about the park, lingering on Madoka sitting next to her before lowering to the ground below.

"We need you over here as soon as possible." Mami suddenly replied in such a rush that Homura struggled for a brief moment to process what she'd heard.

"Why?" Homura quickly asked, rigidly sitting upright. "What happened?"

"There's another witch in the area."

Homura felt her heart sink. She lifted her gaze until she was looking at Madoka. A curious look stole over the pinkette's face, and Homura smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way before focusing back on the telepathic conversation.

"Where is it?"

"Third Street," Mami answered. "Near the shopping district. How fast can you make it?"

Homura pictured the exact location in her mind. "Five minutes." she replied immediately. "Perhaps four."

"Good, I'll see you then."

Once the conversation ended, Homura let her head drop like a dead weight. Her palms felt clammy, and the thick mantle of responsibility draped itself across her shoulders once more. She suppressed a shudder as the imaginary fabric scratched across her skin, weighing down her neck. More witches. It hadn't even been four days since the last one.

"I guess you have to go, right?" Madoka asked in a gentle voice, already having deduced what was going on from Homura's expression and body language.

Homura nodded, reaching for Madoka's hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze when their fingers interlocked. "Just for a little while," she said, allowing herself to be swept back into the soothing calmness Madoka provided. "It won't take long," she promised.

"Will you be okay?" Madoka asked. Her eyes shone bright against the soft amber backdrop of the setting sun.

Guilt hummed in Homura's chest. She softened her gaze, and the tension in her shoulders seemed to ebb away. No matter how she felt, she couldn't let it show and worry Madoka. This was the perfect ending. Everything _had_ to go well. "I will." she murmured, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Madoka's ear. "Don't worry."

The smile Madoka gave her was brimming with tender affection, and Homura couldn't help but want to stay locked in this moment forever. Her heart ached to grab Madoka in her arms and never let her go. Her hand fell from Madoka's ear to her shoulder, lightly tracing over the pale skin between her neck and collarbone. Madoka closed her eyes and drew in a quick breath, but she let Homura continue, leaning even closer.

But when Homura looked up and saw Kyouko standing near the park entrance not ten seconds later, she sighed in resignation and reluctantly drew away from Madoka. She rose to her feet, her mind already steeled to the inevitable task.

Kyouko approached closer and cast Homura a strange look, no doubt noticing the lack of distance between her and Madoka. "Ready to roll?" she asked.

"I thought you were with Tomoe-san." Homura said.

Kyouko shook her head. "Sayaka is. I was just on my way when I saw you here."

"You've heard about what happened?"

Kyouko shrugged. "Yeah. Another day, another witch. It's nothing new." she offered Homura a brief grin in an attempt to lighten the mood. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

Turning around, Homura gave Madoka one last wave goodbye before jogging after Kyouko. When they were out of sight, Kyouko let out a long sigh. "Must be tough trying not to worry Madoka," she said, not really glancing at Homura.

"I manage." Homura briefly answered. She glanced at the spear-wielder. "How has Miki-san been lately?"

"Oh, you know that idiot. She's gets all excited whenever we let her fight."

Homura folded her arms. "Aren't you the exact same?"

Kyouko's lips quirked upwards. "Heh. Maybe. Still," she added after a moment of thought. "I can't believe how many witches keep appearing. Where do they keep coming from?"

Homura shook her head. "But at least we've become significantly better at dealing with them." she quietly observed. "There's more efficiency in our strategy and quickly gathering everyone to subdue the threat."

Kyouko snorted. "Yeah. It's almost like we know what we're doing."

Homura rolled her eyes at Kyouko's sarcastic comment. "Don't be so pessimistic already."

"Well, you know what they say…" Kyouko muttered, her voice suddenly trailing off into quiet solemnness.

"And what is that?" Homura asked, frowning at the ominous tone.

"There's no rest for the darkness."

And the truth of that lanced through Homura's chest, rendering her speechless. She said nothing until they had arrived at the place - a alleyway branching off of a side road. Mami and Sayaka were already waiting by the entrance of the witch's lair. The sun had already fallen beneath the horizon, and in the thick darkness under the ghost-gray skies, everyone looked like looming shadows to Homura. Rags of miasma tickled her feet, seeming to grasp at her ankles, and she had to resist the urge to kick them away.

There was an acrid odor in the air. Homura wrinkled her nose at the sharp stench. It smelled like burnt rubber - like centuries-old rotting wood in a crypt - like _death_.

"Try not to die on me, guys." Kyouko muttered. "I've never cried before. I don't want to find out if I can."

There was a bitter twist in her lips. Homura blinked, wondering if she was just imagining it.

"Liar, there's no way you _haven't _cried before," Sayaka said challengingly.

Kyouko winked at her. "Oh? Are you really in a position to say anything? Didn't you cry after that one fight when you messed up which led to me getting injured? I only sprained my ankle and cut my arm, but you still bawled your eyes out-"

"Idiot! Y-You promised you wouldn't tell anyone that!" Sayaka exclaimed, her cheeks flushing scarlet. "I-I don't even know what y-you're talking about-!"

Tuning out the sounds of the girls behind her, Homura bit her lip in nervousness, trying to settle her nerves. Madoka's worried face flashed in her mind, and she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. Then, she opened them.

"We'll follow the same plan. Kyouko, you'll take the lead. Tomoe-san, please support her from long-range like usual. Alternate between attacking and supporting whenever one of you becomes fatigued. Miki-san, stay by my side. I'll give you more detailed instructions once we've determined the type and attack patterns of the witch."

Then, summoning her resolve, Homura stepped into the lair.

* * *

><p>It didn't start at any particular time, really.<p>

Looking back, Homura would say it was right before the battle, but even that probably wasn't it. The sharp headaches, sudden mood swings, and physical soreness had become a lot more frequent recently. Homura wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with her, but she knew that her heavy breathing and trembling hands weren't exactly normal. She felt her forehead with the back of her hand, but instead of being warm with a fever, it was cold and clammy to the touch.

Was she sick?

The thought lingered, just long enough to be swept up and diluted into an ocean of others - a torrent of thoughts that deluged her already overwhelmed mind. As she stared at the battle scene in front of her, her gaze grew more distant, faded details blurring into a silent darkness that hypnotized her as seconds seemed to become lifetimes and then eternities. Evanescent and unidentifiable sensations began to materialize everywhere inside of her. Slowly, they differentiated into feelings that became more familiar.

It was pain, and it snapped Homura back into focus. She reached up, wincing at her sharp headache, and tried to focus on the fight before her. But it was already in its closing stages. Everything had went almost exactly how she'd planned.

From her vantage point, she saw Kyouko twirling through the darkness like a red phantom, slashing easily through the witch. From behind, Mami was consistently laying into the witch with careful, accurate shots. Homura barely even had to participate - never once needing to stop time in case a witch's attack came close to catching anyone off guard. The witch was easily defeated in a few minutes. But her headache only grew in intensity.

Once the lair had evaporated and the miasma dispersed, Homura wasted no time striding over to Sayaka and rounding on her. "What was _that_ about, Miki Sayaka?" she demanded.

Sayaka stared at her, surprised. "What was _what_ about?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Homura said levelly, glaring. From her peripheries, she could see Mami and Kyouko staring at her, but she didn't bother easing up. "Earlier, you messed up our formation and I had to cover for you."

Sayaka stepped backwards, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler. "I was just-"

"Forget it, okay?" Homura snapped. She had to look up slightly to meet Sayaka's eyes, and right now, it irritated her to no end. "Just leave it to me next time. You're just going to get in my way."

"Okay…" Sayaka held up her hands. "Relax, Homura."

The words buzzed in Homura's mind like wasps. All kinds of emotions were clouding her mind like a red fog. Homura clenched her teeth, hearing it grind inside her skull like flint and metal, ready to ignite a spark in her mind at any second. "How can I _relax_?" she almost snarled, and Sayaka's eyes visibly widened in shock at the sound of her almost inhumane tone. "How can you take this so lightly?"

Indignantly, Sayaka glared back. "I'm _not_ taking this lightly-!"

"Okay, that's _enough_ girls." Mami quickly cut in, moving in-between the two. She placed a hand on Sayaka's shoulder. They seemed to have a quick telepathic conversation, but again, Homura couldn't be bothered to listen. After a few seconds, Sayaka relented, shooting Homura a suspicious stare before running off with Kyouko to collect the grief seed.

"Are you okay, Akemi-san?" Mami asked once Sayaka and Kyouko had gone.

"I'm fine." Homura spat. She grabbed her forehead, clenching her teeth again to bear another brutal wave of pain. "I'm perfectly alright. I just need to rest."

She tried to take a few steps, but her legs gave way like jelly. She stumbled and almost fell over until Mami grabbed her, supporting her to stand back upright.

"Why don't you stay at my apartment for the night?" Mami asked. When Homura glanced up, she could see her eyes shining with concern. "It's very close by," Mami added. "I don't want to leave you alone to walk all the way to your house. Not at this hour."

"I'd rather not-" Homura began, but Mami's grip tightened.

"For one night, Akemi-san. You really don't look well."

Homura frowned, considering the offer for a few seconds. She knew that she wasn't currently in any condition to walk home, but the thought of being near someone made her head hurt. She wanted nothing more than to be left alone right now, but she didn't have much of a choice. "Fine." Homura eventually mumbled. "Thank you..." she later added.

Mami smiled. "You're welcome."

But by the time Homura followed everyone to Mami's apartment, her head was pounding loudly in her ears, bright colors seeming to vibrate in the air. She squeezed her eyes shut when a sudden wave of nausea rushed into her, filling the spaces in her brain and forcing the air out of her lungs. Her feet felt like they were floating off the ground, and her fingers felt numb. Her chest felt like it was splitting open.

"Are you gonna sit there all day, or do you need some help getting up?" a voice jokingly asked.

Homura blinked open her eyes to see Sayaka standing over her. The blunette was staring at her with an amused smile, but there was something else lingering in her blue gaze. Her hand was outstretched, waiting, and it took Homura a full five seconds to process her words, realizing that she'd somehow taken a seat by Mami's coffee table.

Robotically, Homura reached up and grabbed Sayaka's hand as the latter helped her up to her feet. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and her brain was reeling. How did she sit down without noticing?

"S-Sorry about earlier," were the words that Homura finally managed to force out. "I didn't mean what I said."

Sayaka blinked. "Huh? Oh... yeah, it's fine... I'm sorry too."

Homura frowned and glanced around. "What time is it?"

Sayaka looked surprised. "We just got here. It's still seven."

Homura furrowed her brows in confusion, the skin of her face feeling chilled as if all the blood drained from it. She tried to walk forward, but swayed uneasily before steadying herself against the wall.

_I must've spent more energy on the fight than I assumed_, she thought. _But I barely fought. Then why do I feel like this?_

"Um-" Homura started, rubbing her eyes and attempting to think through the muddle in her mind. Feeling as though her thoughts were emerging from a thick layer of mud, she asked, "Where is Tomoe-san?"

"She just left to buy ingredients for dinner." Sayaka said, turning around to leave. She stopped momentarily and glanced at Homura over her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look kinda sick."

"She's probably just playing up her sickly girl appeal," Kyouko said, grinning as she strode into the living room.

Homura shot the redhead a weak glare, but even that made her head reel. She watched lifelessly as Sayaka and Kyouko started talking – whether it between themselves or directed at herself, she wasn't sure. She didn't even try to follow the conversation.

Summoning the last bits of her strength, she stumbled along the wall towards the bedroom. She could feel both Kyouko's and Sayaka's gazes on her.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." Homura said dismissively, even though she felt like she was swinging like a pendulum among a multitude of different emotions. Exhaustion. Pain. Frustration.

Once Homura pushed open the door of the guest bedroom, she simply collapsed onto the bed, forgoing undressing and choosing just to deal with it in the morning. It was still relatively early in the evening, but she felt drained. Her eyelids shut without much complaint, and her mind began to peacefully drift away.

"Homura, c'mon, I was going to sleep there," Kyouko whined into her ear not even ten seconds later.

Homura's stomach churned. "Sorry," she mumbled into the bedspread. "Not tonight. Leave me alone."

Kyouko grumbled and probably said more, but Homura was too distracted with her pain to care. Her head throbbed, filling her mind with agony, and she blindly reached for a pillow, slamming it down over her head. She heard Mami's and Kyouko's voices float over her head a few times, but only when a warm hand was placed on either shoulder did she realize that they were talking to her.

"Homura, what are you doing?" she heard Kyouko ask, the redhead clearly amused at her attempt to sleep.

"Sleeping," Homura mumbled, her voice muffled in the blanket.

The hand disappeared from her shoulder. "It's like seven-fifteen," Kyouko said, sounding unimpressed. "Get up, we've gotta go over plans for the witch battle on Friday."

Homura's stomach seemed to crawl up into her chest at the idea. Biting her lip, she decided to take the easy way out and truthfully muttered, "I don't feel well."

She could feel Kyouko's hesitation lingering over her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just tired," Homura sighed into the bed. She wasn't even sure if Kyouko had heard her, but just then her hearing went fuzzy. It was like someone had flipped the mute switch. Dazed and frowning, Homura forced herself to pull the pillow off her head. She propped herself up and stared around the room in confusion, but it was suddenly empty. The room was pitch black, when it had just been bright a minute ago...

Homura looked at the alarm clock.

4:13 a.m.


End file.
